10 Ways to Change the World
1. Wish someone a good day. And mean it. It doesn't matter if it's the cashier at Walmart or your sibling. Look them in the eye, smile, and wish them a good day. Because of you, they might. "A warm smile is the universal language for kindness." (William Arthur Ward.)
2. Listen to a child. It doesn't matter how busy you are, take time to listen to a child. You may not understand all they say, but make that child feel as if they were the President of the United States. That's who they think you are. "Listen earnestly to anything [children] want to tell you, no matter what. If you don't listen eagerly to the little stuff when they are little, they won't tell you the big stuff when they are big, because to them all of it has been big stuff." (Catherine M. Wallace)
3. Be a mundane artist. "If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michaelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, 'Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well." (Martin Luther King, Jr.)
4. Sing. Music has power. And when you sing songs of beauty you see beauty around you. When you sing of gentle caring love you become gentle and caring. As you sing of majesty and wonder, your soul rises. You change. "Where there is devotional music, God is always at hand with His gracious presence." (Johann Sebastien Bach)
5. Pray. Need I tell you what prayer can do? "Prayer is the key, in the hand of faith, that unlocks heaven's storehouses." (Ellen G. White)
6. Give, seeking nothing in return. Give anything. A hug, a meal, a blanket. Give the gift of time or resources. And in giving you'll find your richest return. "Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, ye who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom that was prepared for you...For I was hungry and you fed me. I was thirsty and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison and you visited me.' Then these righteous will reply, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?' And the King will say, 'I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these, my brothers and sister, you were doing it to me.'" (Jesus)
7. Keep your feet beautiful. We live in a world where evil is publicized and good is hidden. Share the good news that the Son has set us free. "How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns!" (Isaiah)
8. Encourage. Your heart feels just a little lighter when someone notices your hard work. Imagine the smile shared with another as you pass it along. "Most of us, swimming against the tides of trouble the world knows nothing about, need only a bit of praise or encouragement, and we will make the goal." (Robert Collier)
9. Read. And I mean read the good stuff. Biographies show us men who lived great lives, casting a vision for our own paths. "I must judge for myself, but how can I judge, how can any man judge, unless his mind has been opened and enlarged by reading." (John Adams)
10. Dream. I'll admit it. Most adults lose the beauty of dreaming to the dismal reality of responsibility. But to change the world, you have to see a changed world. When you see that world, it starts to leave the realm of fiction. "All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible." (T. E. Lawrence)
2. Listen to a child. It doesn't matter how busy you are, take time to listen to a child. You may not understand all they say, but make that child feel as if they were the President of the United States. That's who they think you are. "Listen earnestly to anything [children] want to tell you, no matter what. If you don't listen eagerly to the little stuff when they are little, they won't tell you the big stuff when they are big, because to them all of it has been big stuff." (Catherine M. Wallace)
3. Be a mundane artist. "If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michaelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, 'Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well." (Martin Luther King, Jr.)
4. Sing. Music has power. And when you sing songs of beauty you see beauty around you. When you sing of gentle caring love you become gentle and caring. As you sing of majesty and wonder, your soul rises. You change. "Where there is devotional music, God is always at hand with His gracious presence." (Johann Sebastien Bach)
5. Pray. Need I tell you what prayer can do? "Prayer is the key, in the hand of faith, that unlocks heaven's storehouses." (Ellen G. White)
6. Give, seeking nothing in return. Give anything. A hug, a meal, a blanket. Give the gift of time or resources. And in giving you'll find your richest return. "Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, ye who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom that was prepared for you...For I was hungry and you fed me. I was thirsty and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison and you visited me.' Then these righteous will reply, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?' And the King will say, 'I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these, my brothers and sister, you were doing it to me.'" (Jesus)
7. Keep your feet beautiful. We live in a world where evil is publicized and good is hidden. Share the good news that the Son has set us free. "How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns!" (Isaiah)
8. Encourage. Your heart feels just a little lighter when someone notices your hard work. Imagine the smile shared with another as you pass it along. "Most of us, swimming against the tides of trouble the world knows nothing about, need only a bit of praise or encouragement, and we will make the goal." (Robert Collier)
9. Read. And I mean read the good stuff. Biographies show us men who lived great lives, casting a vision for our own paths. "I must judge for myself, but how can I judge, how can any man judge, unless his mind has been opened and enlarged by reading." (John Adams)
10. Dream. I'll admit it. Most adults lose the beauty of dreaming to the dismal reality of responsibility. But to change the world, you have to see a changed world. When you see that world, it starts to leave the realm of fiction. "All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible." (T. E. Lawrence)
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