“I’ll give you a new heart, put a new spirit in you. I’ll remove the stone heart from your body and replace it with a heart that’s God-willed, not self-willed.” (Ezekiel 36:26 MSG)
Most of us want a better world. We aspire to be agents of change. How we incorporate new information, how we reevaluate previously held beliefs, how we reconstruct old attitudes--all determine our moral landscape.
Like a stone dropped in water creates a ripple effect in concentric circles, all transformation starts in our spirit. First, we have to change our own hearts. This means doing an honest assessment of our fundamental biases. Expect to find some preexisting malignancies that will need to be identified and treated. Our stone hearts have to be replaced with a heart that’s God-willed, not self-willed.
Once we address our internal misconceptions, we are ready to share our thoughts with our friends, neighbors, coworkers, faith networks, social media associates, etc. Consistently living the truth we profess leads to being a positive influence on those around us. Then we use the power of social dissemination for more expansive territories--educational systems, justice systems, health care, social services, county, state, national legislators, judges, and leaders. Finally--if enough of us use every tool that God gives us, perhaps we can bring about global changes.
