Be Part of The Solution
In my “I'm Not Your Pastor” series on Instagram I've been sharing the three filters i run thoughts through before sharing them. Or at least try to.
Last week I shared filter 1.
This week I'm sharing filter #2…
Am I just pointing at the problem… or am I becoming part of the solution?
It’s easy to feel like we’re accomplishing something by calling attention to what’s wrong. In fact, in today’s world it almost feels like a virtue to make sure everyone else sees the problem too.
But most of the time, we’ve just added to the noise.
Jesus gives us a powerful picture of this in the story of the Good Samaritan.
A man is beaten, robbed, and left dying in the road. A priest walks by. A Levite walks by. Both see the problem… and keep going.
Then the Samaritan comes along.
What’s interesting about the story is not just that he didn’t walk past like the others.
He also didn’t stop and start a campaign about the violence in the streets.Z
He didn’t gather people together to talk about the failure of the religious leaders who passed by.
He didn’t make speeches about how broken society had become.
He just helped.
Jesus ends the story with a simple command:
“Which of these proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?”
“The one who showed him mercy.”
And Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
Luke 10:36–37
Today it’s easy to believe that pointing out the problem is the same thing as solving it.
But awareness is not the same thing as action.
People are hurting. People are broken. People are lying in the ditch all around us.
The question isn’t whether we can see the problem.
The question is whether we will stop and help.
I recorded a short video for Instagram, but wanted to share a longer one here unpacking this idea a little more and talking through the filter I try to use in my own life.
The main point is this… Being Loud is not always the same as being helpful.
Now, don't misunderstand me… if the house is on fire, please be LOUD, but also, get water.
-Warren