60 seconds of soul-searching

So last Sunday in church, the pastor preached a very interesting sermon about "finding" oneself. Now, a lot of folks shy away from this concept in church, because it's so self-centered, so individualistic (in liberal churches, you're supposed to be learning how to be more selfless and community-minded), but he couched it in a really good way. He suggested that we all be quiet for a minute, and close our eyes and try to think about where our greatest desire meets the world's greatest need.

(try it - your minute starts.....now!)

Of course, he said if your greatest desire is to write deodorant commercials, it might not fulfill any of the world's greatest needs. The idea is to use your intuition to see where the two might intersect.

It was an interesting minute for me. The insight that I received is that the world needs another truth-teller. One of those people who gently, persistently, tells the truth despite the opinions around her. I also received the insight that the world does NOT need another angry woman, railing against injustice. Oh there's a place for publicly-expressed outrage, and many people I admire practice that. But there's far fewer people right now trying to reach out to those who don't agree. To speak truth to ignorance and misinformation, in a way that connects, not divides, that's what the world needs.

Also, it's quite a mandate. Good thing it wasn't two minutes of silence!