What are you willing to fight for? Where are you willing to draw the line? What motivates you to take a stand? Questions you should know the answer to long before you have to pick a side. As I go through the political mire of the transitioning the Tennessee State Fair from metro government into private hands, I realize there are very few people willing to suit up for battle. But, through all of the people that aren’t willing…there are those who are! And the ones who are, inspire me.
Everything we do matters and everything we don’t do matters, too!
In researching the people over time who have made a historical stand you see the common denominators as being a combination of heart, fight and integrity. The “greats” who stood tall did so no matter what the consequences; their stories stood the test of time.
What we’re doing at the State Fair does not compare to Rosa Parks or Joan of Arc, but it IS important to the future of agriculture in the entire state of Tennessee; it’s important to 3rd, 4th and 5th generation farmers to perpetuate the art and the education of their importance to our dinner tables. It doesn’t always have to be something so huge in history to make a positive difference, but it does require you to DO something.
Prior to their acts of bravery they too were ordinary people who happened to do extraordinary things. Think about it, Rosa Parks was not a great warrior in the typical sense, but she was an amazing warrior in the history of humanity. She didn’t have to invent a cure for cancer, she didn’t have to fight off armies of soldiers, she sat. And her act of sitting did more for our nation than some who did raise weapons and fight. She sat. I like the thought of that. Rosa Parks’ DOING was actually NOT DOING. What she did and didn’t do mattered!
I recently read, “The Butterfly Effect” by Andy Andrews. It’s a terrific 30 minute read. It reminds us that everything we do matters. Every word, every act and every moment. So my part in saving the Tennessee State Fair matters to me. And if the Butterfly Effect holds true, then some day it will make a significant difference in a child’s life…and what I did may change history…or it may not, but it will never be said that I did nothing. Today, I did something to further that mission. Tomorrow, I will do something else. It’s not a single act, but it will be a series of acts that contribute to change. I’m committed to change. My effort counts. I will sleep good tonight.
I’m sure all of us are committed to something: the church finance committee, the nursery, a political candidate, a cause. But sometimes our effect can be through something so ordinary as an exchange with a cashier, a wave to a homeless man, a door we held for someone far enough away that we could have just let it close. Everything we do matters…to someone. Remember how powerful your words and actions are and pay close attention to them today. Because today you will make a difference in someone’s life. Everything you do matters. Every effort you make counts. What a glorious thought to begin the week!
