P.S. to Saving the World

As I went on my walk this morning, I kept praying, "Make me a Daniel.....Make me a Daniel." And as I think on Daniel, he did his part in saving the world --- only he did it the right way. There is a way we can do our part to, figuratively speaking, "save the world." We can stand up for our convictions without being obnoxious - we can do it in our homes and in our personal lives - we don't have to force it on others. We can do our job to the best of our ability, our job, our job - not try to help everyone else do their job the way we think it should be done! We can give advise only when it's asked for. (Ouch!) We can keep up our holy practices of reading and studying the Bible and praying without acting superior.

We can...with the guidance and prompting of the Holy Spirit, if we will yield to Him. If we're honest there are times when we wonder what to do, and there's a "feeling" in our gut, but we don't follow it. Many times when I don't listen to that feeling, I get in trouble. Surely they need me! When the reality is, no they do not!

Daniel stood up for what was right and did not waver in his beliefs; he gave advice - not just advice, the truth when asked; he studied his Bible and asked the Lord for enlightenment; he prayed - not just for himself, for others and for his people and nation. And you know what else? He was loyal to his leaders. As far as we know, he did not ask that they convert to his way of thinking, to stop their unfair practices, to give up their idols, to change their way of life. But in the way Daniel lived his life, he was an example and did his part in "saving the world."

As I walked in the house from my walk, Matt Lauer was talking about how we can go "green." He was interviewing an A&P Grocery associate about their reuseable bags-how if we use these bags instead of plastic grocery bags, we can save energy. Ann Curry (I love her!) lifted her hands in the air and said, "Save the world!" Yet another way we can do our part - recycling, using the new florescent light bulbs, carrying our own grocery bags, car pooling, ....

So, as I rethink this "saving the world" thing - we can play a part. We can be a Daniel, we can treat the Earth (at least our part of it) with respect, we can be kind to others, humble in spirit, and yet strong in our personal convictions. We can - only as God goes "with" us. May we never lose His presence as we transform into Daniels!

S