You must be the change you wish to see in the world.

We started a series at church last Sunday called Heroes. Over the next few weeks we're going to talk about how we can be heroes to the people in our lives, in our communities, in our country, and in our world.

Last week James stated that what's needed to be a hero is a burden. He then gave a few questions we can ask ourselves to discover our burden-- What breaks my heart? What makes me angry? What do I care about that others don't?

I've been thinking about those questions all week. There are a lot of things I care about, that I'm interested in, that I think are really important. But in the end there is one issue that stands out above all the others when I ask myself these questions.

It breaks my heart to know how many people in our world live in poverty while there are so many others who have much more of everything than they could ever need. It angers me that there are millions of people who have more money, food, clothing, possessions, and room in their homes than they and their families actually need, yet there are millions of others who don't have enough money to get by, who don't have a roof over their heads at all, who are starving, who don't have proper clothing.

Our lifestyles smack of selfishness and a kind of entitlement mentality. We buy and buy and buy, while others suffer, and we justify it by saying we're entitled to all our stuff, we worked for it. Basic things-- a place to live, food, clothing-- should be common to all people. Possessions are nice; we all like having the extras-- but do we have them at the expense of others? If we were willing to give up some of the extras in our lives and put that money to a better use, how many more people could be provided with the necessitites? Surely enough money exists in this world for all people to have the necessities if the money was used wisely, selflessly, and compassionately.

We take up room building houses that are too big for our families, with bedrooms that sit empty, closets and cupboards that are overflowing, and extra food thrown in the trash, while people in our own communities are homeless, starving, and don't have enough clothing. Even the products we buy, the companies that make them, and the stores we purchase them from often end up contributing to the suffering, exploitation, and mistreatment of people all over the world. When will we be willing to give up some of the extras, when will we be willing to stop buying certain products or shopping in certain stores in order to ease the suffering of other people? When will alleviating the poverty and suffering of others become more important than our own comfort and entertainment? Do we forget that other people are just as important as we are, that we are all equal in eyes of God, that we are to love our neighbors as ourselves? As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Let us treat men and women well: treat them as if they were real: perhaps they are."

I absolutely feel like there are not enough people in the world who care enough about this issue to actually sacrifice and do something about it. I am committed to finding ways to live simply, to cut out some of the extras, to stop supporting companies that exploit others. Will it be easy? No. But sometimes we have to choose between what is easy and what is right. I've chosen the easy way for a long time now, with increasing discomfort about doing so. But I can't do that anymore.

When looking at a problem this large, it's easy to feel overwhelmed. I feel overwhelmed by it every time I think about it. I've put off making changes because of doubts-- how can little old me make a difference in the world? I'm just one person, after all. I can't do great things all by myself, can I? But I try to remember a couple of very wise things that Mother Teresa said:

"We can do no great things, only small things with great love."
"If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one."

These quotes remind me that small things done with love make a great difference in the lives of others. I may not be able to feed or clothe or house a hundred people-- but if I can do any of those things for even one person it will make a difference in that person's life.

I want to share the Franciscan benediction James read on Sunday:

May God bless us with discomfort at easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships, so that we may live deep within our hearts.

May God bless us with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that we may work for justice, freedom and peace.

May God bless us with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation and war, so that we may reach out our hands to comfort them and turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless us with enough foolishness to believe that we can make a difference in this world, so that we can do what others claim cannot be done.