There are a lot of people that consider themselves as being helpless, hopeless and useless. This is never true. We are all here for a reason, and our mission is to find and fulfill our purpose. Some people make a huge difference, but we all make some difference. The world is incomplete without our presence.
Some time ago, I realized that my heroes all shared some common characteristics. They were relentless in the pursuit of their goals. They were positive and cheerful most of the time. They took risks to make a difference in the world. And, strangely enough, none of them started out to change the world. They all showed the power of one person to make significant changes happen despite their initial conditions.
Nelson Mandela was born in 1918 as the son of a powerful tribal chief in South Africa. He was educated at a Methodist missionary school and eventually became a lawyer. He joined the African National Conference (ANC) and protested apartheid from the white minority. This resulted in his being tried for treason and given a life sentence on Robben Island, South Africa’s worst prison.
The most memorable thing to me about Nelson Mandela was that after spending 27 years in South Africa’ worst prison, he came out and declared that he was forgiving everyone involved in putting him in jail. He later became the president of South African and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Some of his memorable sayings were:
“Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.”
“I hate race discrimination most intensely and in all its manifestations. I have fought it all during my life; I fight it now, and will do so until the end of my days.”
“A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.”
Martin Luther King, Jr. was a Baptist minister that fought for social justice and led the civil rights movement in the South. His mission ended up causing his death, but he changed the course of this country with regard to racial opportunities. Our recent events have shown that racism is by no means dead, but the acceptance of racism by the majority of people has changed. From his “I Have a Dream” speech:
“Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.”
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”
There are many others that have demonstrated the power of one person to change the world. Jesus, Joan of Arc, and Martin Luther changed the course of religion, with Jesus focusing on the love of God, love of self, and love of others, Joan of Arc insisting that people could directly access God, and Martin Luther declaring that faith in God was adequate to achieve salvation.
There were others that made great progress in helping situations with simple actions. Rosa Parks simply refused to get up and move to the back of the bus. Mother Theresa went into the leper colony and started treating lepers without fearing for herself. These were great acts from people that had the courage to do what needed to be done. That is what we all can do. Do what needs to be done despite challenges, and with or without the support of an organization.
Spiritualists believe in the Golden Rule and the continuation of consciousness after physical death. Faith is a necessary part of accepting that all things that happen are part of “the plan”. Spiritualists differ from many religions in insisting that we have a personal responsibility to lead a spiritual life. There is no “get out of Hell free card” in the spiritualist principles. We are responsible for what we do.
The vast majority of people that have changed the world go unnamed. You are one of the people that can literally change the world. You have the power to do good things and to fight against ignorance, prejudice, and the myth that you are a victim of others. We rarely know the full consequences of actions, whether they are good or bad. Our actions cause waves that extend across the universe. Kind actions create kinder people.
This is a time of publicizing evil by the news media, governments, and hate mongers. We can overcome this fear and hopelessness through knowing that there is divine power at work for good, and to act accordingly. The focus on fear and evil reduces our power to lead happy and useful lives. Evil is based on greed, power, and a lack of self-love. Those that seek to dominate us do so out of fear that they are inadequate and undeserving of love by others.
We must combat evil wherever we see it to the best of our abilities. This is not a new situation. Evil is a part of all human history. The new situation is that there has never been so much focus on so few people of evil intent such that we cannot lead our normal lives. This is the goal of terrorism. The vast majority of people in this world are good people that mean to do us no harm. The tiny minority must be dealt with when they express hatred and self-loathing.
We are not powerless. We can influence others to be strong, brave and righteous by the actions that we perform. Scientific evidence has shown that group meditations for peace impact the energy in the world. We do not need scientific evidence to believe that our souls are immortal, and departed souls are here to help us make this a better world. Even acting as one person, there is a huge amount of energy available to help make things better in this world. We must have the courage to act.
You must accept that you are here for a purpose, and that purpose is to make this a better world. Act kindly. Be compassionate. Be courageous in doing good deeds. Speak out against evil in all forms, but especially those that seek to separate us from knowing that we are all equal in the eyes of God. You have the power of the Creator within you, and the ability to unite with others to create a world of equality and universal love. Go with Grace and Peace. You are one, and you are powerful. When you unite with others to do good, good will inevitably happen.
© Copyright 2018
Rev. Jim Hetzer
Walking the Spirit Path 
As always, this is a well written and inspirational article. I agree.
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