When a community organizer first talked to me about self-interest, it sounded selfish. But it is the opposite: Knowing how I am affected by and therefore personally invested in something is not just about me. When we can identify how an issue affects us directly, it is easier to stay committed to the cause if that becomes inconvenient or worse. Also, telling our stories is the most genuine, non-threatening way to share our passion.
Our self-interest may begin with people and places we can name, but the passions that are most worth pursuing have a greater impact as well.
Timing is the domain of the Holy Spirit, who blows where she will, spinning us around like a spiral of leaves on a windy day. When the spirit of change in its disguise as restlessness starts blowing through us and then through entire groups of people until we can hear each other being moved, the Holy Spirit has arrived. The time has come to act – and we’ll find we are not alone. We were made for such a time as this.
This message is from the faith reflection “Discovering your passion” by Lee Ann Pomrenke in the January 4, 2018, Café online magazine.
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