"More than my question about the efficacy of social action were my questions about my own motives. Do I want social justice for the oppressed, or do I just want to be known as a socially active person? I spend 95 percent of my time thinking about myself anyway. I don't have to watch the evening news to see that the world is bad; I only have to look at myself. I am not browbeating myself here; I am only saying that true change, true life-giving, God-honoring change would have to start with the individual. I was the very problem I had been protesting. I wanted to make a sign that read "I AM THE PROBLEM!""
I find this really relevant for myself and it has made me questions what are my motives for social justice. I do genuinely want to help these people, to realize their worth, to know the Lord and his love and his healing power. But am I also doing it for recognition? For being 'sacrificial' in my efforts and being 'caring and loving'? I know we as people can easily put our identity in the things we do, how we look, what we say, and what we spend out time on -something I am really learning about for myself- but we need to find our identity solely in the Lord. There can sometimes be a fine line that we may not even realize. I need to grasp though that I am just a tool for the Lord to reach these people and it is He who has even put this passion and ability in me in the first place.
Just something to think about.
(sorry for the weird formatting)
