It's a Big, Big World - Shrink it!

If you know anything about me, you know I love the internet! I love the around-the-clock access to worldwide events, happenings and knowledge - the scientific papers, the public opinion, the latest news, everything. Having the world at our fingertips is a "privilege" that none others have had before in history. People relied on local gossip and newspapers to find out what was going on in their community. Then came radio and movies to provide news of what was going on in the world. Now we have instantaneous reports on the latest celebrity death, political gaffe and natural disaster. We are bombarded with photos of war, statistics of crime and tragic death toll counts. The internet has opened up the world to us and created a global community where our neighbor can live 4,000 miles away from us. Though this has its benefits, it can also make us feel very small and very helpless. How does one make any difference in the world when one cannot stave off the spectacular devastation going on around the world? What can one do when it comes to the thousands upon thousands of orphans in Africa due to the AIDS epidemic? The millions of starving mouths to feed in [choose any location around the world]? The untold number of Christians persecuted for their faith? The tragedy visited upon us by Mother Nature? The abuses done by man upon their children, spouses, family, friends, animals and earth?

Sometimes the bigger the picture, the less equipped we feel. Though it is proven that one person can impact the entire world by their actions and efforts, it always begins simply by taking one step. It requires a singular focus, not on saving the entire world, but on saving just one someone or something. If we were to mentally shrink our world back down to what's just beyond our doorstep, we would essentially be opening our eyes and seeing things we've never noticed before - that homeless man who sleeps on your city's sidewalk, the dog chained up across the street without food or water, the single mom next door who just had another baby, the neighbor who needs some help fixing their car, the elderly woman who never leaves her house... There is always someone in our own little world that needs us - maybe not us so much but needs the love of Christ inside of us showered upon them. As parents, there is no denying we have our very own mission field within our own home. But take a look outside your window every once in awhile and see how that mission field expands beyond our home as well. There are great teachings about how loving our neighbor isn't necessarily confined to your next door neighbor - our neighbors can be in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, China and North Korea. But it also means loving your next door neighbor or your neighbor two streets down or one town over. We will naturally be able to have the most impact on those within our own community and especially on our own street. Don't discredit that daily witness on those around you!

One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these." Mark 12:28-33

Shrink your world and see with new eyes your own community. We may never have a worldwide impact by our actions, but we can significantly impact someone else's world.

Nickelback - "If Everyone Cared" Video