"All words are symbols that represent unspeakable realities. Which is also why words are magical." (Donald Miller tweet)

Thursday, June 18, 2015

one of my "things"

Hey, you know how one of my "things" is Outrage-Free Friday?

Also coffee. And Ukraine. Those are also "things" of mine.

But the whole "outrage-free" thing is, for me, a response to ... um ... how do I say this ... I feel like a lot of outrage is in response to valid concerns, but it's ... uh ... knee-jerk, short-lived and ineffective at creating long-term change.

And it's bad for my health to live in that space all the time. So I care deeply, which means I get outraged too, but I also declare one day a week outrage-free, because looking for joy is a good thing, and getting outraged can become an exhausting, demoralizing habit.

For me.  If you want to be outraged all the time, that's your call.

So this morning, I read this brief story. About a government that outlawed a practice that was essential to someone's faith. And the "someone" heard about it, knew about it, and continued their practice anyway ... "just as he had always done".

Bam.

That's the difference between short-lived, loudly-expressed, less-effective outrage ... and a life lived intentionally, core values solidly defined. This guy ended up surviving three massive government changes and influencing his world - not by loud outrage, but by an authentic life.

Less short-term outrageous.

More long-term courageous.

Off to work now.