Be the Change

Mahatma Gandhi said, "Be the change that you wish to see in the world."

I think this is a concept often quoted, often posted on social media, but one that isn't often enacted. At least not that I've seen.

When I was a junior in college, I had the opportunity to study abroad.  On a hot August day I boarded a plane that would take me to Chicago, another to Houston, and finally, I landed in Nicaragua.

If you don't know much about Nicaragua, it is located in Central America, between Honduras and Costa Rica. It has a population of a little over 6 million, a tropical climate, beautiful lakes and volcanoes, and a history of dictatorships and political unrest. Almost half of the population lives below the poverty line, most on only one or two dollars per day.

They are so happy.

I lived with a Nicaraguan family in Leon.  Our house had 3 bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a gated patio.  They were one of the wealthy families.  In our three bedroom house lived my host parents, two sisters, my sister's husband and son, a set of grandparents, an aunt, and various relatives and friends would spend the night whenever necessary. And they gave me my own bedroom.

I did a lot while in Nicaragua.  I took classes, I helped in a local school, I travelled, I met my sister's friends and learned from all of them - attending events around town, going out for dinner, learning about how they celebrate holidays. The other American students and I thoroughly enjoyed our semester.

One thing kept sticking out to me - they have so little, but they are so blessed.

After a month back at home I started going to counseling.  Reverse culture shock is a very real thing. I had it. Things that had been important before weren't important anymore. Half of what I owned seemed stupid and unnecessary.  That might have been the first time that I actually wanted to be the change.

I'm 26 years old, and I'm incredibly blessed.  I have a wonderful and supportive family.  I have great friends. My husband and I own a house, 2 cars, and have full time jobs and a dog.  We are not lacking in anything. What more could we want?

I want to be the change.

I have an incredible opportunity.  I'm a high school teacher, I volunteer with our church youth group, and I help coach cheerleading.  I literally see kids everywhere I go.  I get to be the change in their life. And I hope and pray that they choose to be the change, too.

Living in our culture and society doesn't make it easy.  It's much easier to share the graphic and quote, and smile from behind the computer or phone about "what a good person I am." But I believe that you can be doing everything right, and not actually be making change.

When I taught in Michigan, I used to ask my homeroom this question periodically: "What is the difference between being nice and being kind?" By the end of the year they had concluded that being nice was just having manners and doing the right thing.  Being kind came from the heart. Being nice is something you can do.  Being kind is part of who you are.

In order to be the change, we need to have the right heart.  It doesn't matter what we say or do if we don't mean it.  And kids can see sincerity or insincerity in a second.

After my time in Nicaragua, I wanted to be the change.  I still haven't quite figured out what I'm doing or how to go about it.  But I do know that if I'm going to be the change, it needs to affect every part of my life.  If I really want the change, it will affect everything I do and every decision I make.

Isn't that like Christianity? If we are truly living our lives to glorify God, it will infiltrate every aspect of our lives. People will see it.  People will respond to it.  In fact, we would simply be the change in the world.