Live Greater Another Kind of Stimulus

Feb 16, 2009

May the Lord give you His peace!

If you haven’t been paying attention to the news, let me fill you in. This week, President Obama will sign an economic stimulus package into law equaling over 800 billion dollars. Now, if you want insight on whether or not it is going to work, you are reading the wrong column. But, trying to understand the whole concept of "stimulus" might be worth our time.

The goal of this stimulus package is to try and jump start the economy - basically to put a whole lot of money into the hands of businesses and people so the broken economy and money market will begin to heal and recover. Make sense? Well, it is clear we need something to jump start the economy, but how about a stimulus package for our culture? For a culture that is guided by MTV and Hollywood and one that finds itself lost, bored, and self-medicated, I don’t think it’s a bad idea. We need to make a jump start in our own lives in order to make a difference in the culture that is desperately needed at this time. How can we do this?

Be PRAYFUL

All of us have things to give. But the real question is, what are you giving? If we simply give ourselves, no transformation of culture will take place. We must give Christ and let Him be the center of the renewal that needs to happen in our time. Prayer leads us to encounter Jesus in a real way so we can share him with our world. Encountering the living God is central to stimulating our culture!

Be GENEROUS

How our culture would change if we truly cared for one another. Often times we find ourselves keeping score or never really thinking about how we can help others. Helping those who are near to us and those who are strangers will have a tremendous affect on life as we know it. Charity given generously impacts so many people - but how often do we do it? Hearts giving generously and not counting the cost is greatly needed.

Be JOYFUL

Our culture could use a little joy don’t you think? I am not talking about a happiness that is fake or one that comes from the world. I am talking about the joy that enters our hearts and lives when we know we are loved by God - a joy that comes from being truly free and able to experience the joys and sorrows of life with a perspective of hope and faith. You can’t stop joy, it brings light into a world that can be so dark at times.

Be AUTHENTIC

It is safe to say that many people and things are fake these days. Our culture needs a sense of what is real. We must be the ones who no longer settle for the cheap imitations we have been given, and discover what it means to be a young person and reveal to the world the truth - the truth of who we really are as sons and daughters of a loving God, and the truth of what it takes to be happy: a relationship with Him and His Church.

My friends, if today we make a commitment to be more prayerful, generous, joyful and authentic in our lives, there is no question we will see a jump start in our families, schools, communities and culture. So often, we leave making changes and improving the world to being someone else’s responsibility. But today, let’s make it ours.

This week the economy is going to receive a stimulus. Let’s give our culture one too. Today, pray a little more and let the Lord work in your life. Be generous to those around you. Carry joy in your heart, bring a smile to other people face, and be an authentic son or daughter of God. That ought to get things going!

God Bless You,

 

Rusty