Agents of Change

Yesterday was a beautiful day across Arkansas and my family and I enjoyed it in the Little Rock area.  As the afternoon grew toward evening we spent a little bit of time walking around the Arkansas State Capitol grounds.  There we found flowering trees in bloom, the distinctive architecture of the Capitol structure and the several memorials spread across the property to be quite interesting and beautiful.

Among the various memorials was one that was quite striking.  Pictured above is a sculpture of "The Little Rock Nine."  This group of 9 students bravely walked a path that no student had walked before as they were the first African-American students to enroll at Little Rock Central High School.  Their entry into the school was a national, if not international news story, which stirred emotions and involved not only police but National Guardsmen, and a power struggle between the Arkansas governor, and the President of the United States.

These brave young people paved the way for others of their time, and for generations to come, to be afforded the dignity of a full and equal education as they were integrated into Central High.  These young lives served as agents of change in a society that didn't know that it was ready, and in need of, such change.  So it is with so many others, perhaps not on this grand of a stage, but on whatever stage they may be cast.  Change never comes easy, and often evokes emotion, or extracts a high price in the short run.  Change, however, is necessary. 

There is only one thing that is unchanging and that is God's love for us.  God offers us stability in changing times, and is a refuge for the believer.  

The Lord will also be

a refuge for the oppressed,

a refuge in times of trouble.

Psalm 9:9

God expects us, His children, to be agents of change as we walk through this world.  He knows that from the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, up until Jesus returns in glory, there will be a constant need for change.  With the propensity of man to seek pleasure in sin and to spurn the will of God, there would be a need for faithful folks to take up the call of faith.  The Christian agent of change is actually quite paradoxical, in that we change by seeking to stay the same.  We hold a course, in Christ, that doesn't waver and becomes attractive to those with an honest heart who seek shelter from the storms of life that are exacerbated by the powerful consequences of our poor choices.

Though the Christian is spiritually set apart, we are not perfect and do endure storms in our lives.  The difference makes all the difference.  We walk through these storms with a hope that rings eternal.  It is the dignity and the convictions of our faith that make others take note.  Today can you as my brother or sister in Christ be an agent of change?  Stand firm in your convictions and share your hope.  Through this maybe you can spark change in the soul of another, leading them to the place of refuge in the Lord.  If you will choose this path, then that is a fundamental way to Make Today Great!