You were meant to make a difference www.AverageAdvocate.com

 

Activist- Or Not?

 

Most people don’t just wake up and say “Hey, I want to be an activist!” I know I didn’t. I simply slowly began to care.

 

For some of us, the label activist implies pushiness, or being too radical, or too freaky. I prefer to be called an advocate, someone who works for a cause, an intercessor of sorts for others (see the definition of advocate here).

 

It isn’t about our actions as much as it is about our hearts. Do we consider others better than ourselves? Do we value them? How would we want someone to respond to our situations, if we traded places?

 

Voilà! It turns out that intentionally working through those questions transforms us into advocates for others!

 

My personal transformation was birthed by believing in a God whose heart is set on justice, love, and truth. Following Jesus made me care, and now I find myself becoming more and more like Him as I respond to the world around me.

 

When I am confronted with the truth – that evil and suffering happens and people are ignored within this state- my beliefs require me to act. I am just an everyday person who has begun to realize it is my responsibility to at least try to be more loving. Even if that means not turning away from the truth, even when it makes me uncomfortable.

 

But I think the average person actually does care about the world’s saddest issues when they really understand what these issues are and are accept that these issues hurt real people. In fact, I think the average Joe (or Josephine) would actually do something about it if they knew how. We might not take torches and run around the world seven times with them while chanting “love the poor,”  but hey, we can at least do little things where we are at. But doing these little things together transforms us to be more than average. Acting on these make us into advocates for the hurting, both on the inside and out.

 

The Average Advocate was created on the premise that Westerners will rise to the challenge to love deeper as they take up small challenges. It exists to give everyday people the knowledge and action ideas they need to make a difference.

 

And this, my friends, is why this blog exists.  Although I might rant about my life here, I also hope it is a hub where we are molded into world changers.

 

What About You?

Do you consider yourself an advocate?

What beliefs and values drive you?

Do you have a part in changing the world?