When you feel something rising
within you, a holy discontent, an
unwillingness to settle for unjust
circumstances, this will give you a
clue as to your purpose in life.
The stirrings we feel in our spirits, the
situations that frustrate us—we must
always listen to them closely, as they
often highlight the things we were
born to make right, not just allow to
fly by. As Christ-followers, born and
made in the image of God, we will
encounter things that make us feel a
holy sense of discontent.
bring change wherever I see that I
can. I am sure you feel the same way.
But not everything you put your hand
to needs to have an organization born
out of it; many times, it is just the
way of love leading us to small and
yet powerful moments of standing in
the gap and speaking up for others
wherever we can. After my bout with
cancer, I have felt so much braver to
speak to people I see on the street, or
wherever I am, who are hurting. This
has been one of the greatest gifts
cancer has given me.
The “holy discontent” that is intricately
woven within each of us can be buried
under what the experts call “problem
fatigue,” which occurs when we start
to think that a certain problem is too
big for us to handle or have any effect
on. But we were not born to live and
die and simply be happy with our lot
in life. Remember the words of Isaiah
61: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me
because. . .” He has called us to make
a difference in this world! People need to know they are seen.
And when you know and understand
the freedom and hope that Jesus
brings, you will be filled with a
renewed passion to make sure that
everyone has the opportunity to know
Christ. Whether we are living in dire
circumstances or living in excess,
people are people, and we all need the
love of God. As I speak to strangers,
I don’t often start by talking about
Jesus. I just go out in the power of
His love. I find that most people are
open to a genuine conversation. I
might start by telling them that I felt
prompted to come over and say hi. I
share my story, and I listen to theirs. It
may not be changing a nation, but for
one person, I am bringing hope into
their world. Even if I appear foolish to
them, the gift of getting older is that I
don’t really mind.
Like many of you, I’ve always been
moved by people who are hurting.
It does not bring indifference to my
heart; it brings a fire to my belly to It’s all about taking the love of Jesus
and His power everywhere we go. It
is not about the things we cannot do;
it’s about walking in the moments that
Sometimes we are waiting for big
moments to bring our sense of
resolve, when I have found that God
is actually just asking us to tend to
the mostly unseen and quietly evil
practices that are everywhere around
us, if we would open the eyes of our
hearts to actually see them.
Solutions • 27