Hope based on faith has significantly influenced my life. I live by the following quote: “Faith allows things to happen. It is the power that comes from a fearless heart. And when a fearless heart believes, miracles happen.”
Hope and faith are interchangeable in my eyes, and I do believe that out of ashes miracles can happen.
Even with the uncertainty and angst that now fills our community, I can’t help but be optimistic about the future. I’ll do one better. Alongside you, an army of community builders, I want to shape the future.
Shaping anything requires that we play an active part. When you are a part of building something, it removes some of the angst because you know the quality of your craftsmanship.
Too often I hear, “I don’t know where to start.” As if there is some right place, with the right people, talking about the right things, with the right understanding.
Here is what you can do:
Gather a group of your friends and agree to meet monthly to talk about things that you wouldn’t ordinarily talk about – tough things, matters of the heart.
Agree to serve once a month in an area that you wouldn’t normally serve. I’ll help you if you need help.
The key is not to simply go through the motions of serving. You have to be in the moment and force yourself to be conscious of the conditions around you and what created them.
I recently visited a skilled nursing facility that United Way supports because of your investments. Since I wouldn’t normally serve in an environment like this, I asked the board chair, an influential business leader, how he got connected. He mentioned that the facility was a godsend for his family because they didn’t have many options for his cousin who needed care.
He has learned a lot and removed some of the angst because his sleeves are rolled up. Are you in a position to roll up your sleeves?
A leader in this community reminded me a while back that to be catalytic in our context means to accelerate good things and, where possible, stall bad things. Absent a catalyst, it just simply takes more energy to achieve the same result.
What if we all put our shoulders into our community’s opportunities?
Orvin Kimbrough is president and CEO of United Way of Greater St. Louis. Follow his blog at ReimaginingOurFuture.org.
