BE the change

Have you ever noticed how humans are like playdough?

We're constantly morphing ourselves to fit the situation we're in. We act differently around our parents than we would around our boyfriend or girlfriend. We'll say something in front of our friends that we won't say in front of our pastor. We change ourselves to be comfortable, to fit in. This is a fact. It's a method of survival. Adapt to survive. There's nothing wrong with that.
 But have you ever noticed that we never mold ourselves to be better than the status quo? We always mold ourselves after an example, but never to be an example. Once we fit in, we don't try to change ourselves to be something better. We just try to fit the mold that everyone else is. This is what's bad about being playdough. It doesn't change by itself. From what I've heard, playdough has never thought "hmmmm. I don't like who I am now, I should make myself better." It has to be molded by an outside force. Whether that be our hands, or a plastic mold. Humans don't change by themselves either. If we're comfortable with how we are, that's how we'll stay until we're told to change. And even then it's a long process because we always see how others should change, but acknowledging our own faults is not easy.
After the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, it's easy to say that "you've lost hope in humanity". It's easy to gripe about gun laws. It's even easier to share pictures that "restore" hope. It's easy because it requires no effort whatsoever. Any one can make a facebook status. Anyone can send a tweet. Anyone can express their thoughts on what's wrong with humanity. But few of us will actually make an effort to change what's wrong with the world. Why is that? Because it requires a change within ourselves. There is not a single force responsible for the downfall of the integrity of the human race, but there are about 7 billion. What's wrong with humanity lies within each and every one of us and nothing about it is going to change until we look in the mirror and address the problem.

So instead of talking about changes, be the change, because nothing ever happens just by talking about it. There has to be some kind of action to initiate change. Take a day and reflect on how you could be a better person. Work on being just a little bit nicer every day.  Do twenty acts of kindness like this amazing couple who went out of their way (and comfort zone) to make an anonymous impact on the lives of people in Lufkin.Whatever you do, it doesn't have to be drastic. Most of the time, the biggest changes start out with just a little something different.

Props to Walker and Katelyn McWilliams. I am so proud to call them my friends. And if you didn't click the link to their blog earlier, click on it NOW! If everyone does what they did, the world would be a much happier place.