Discovering a Good and Beautiful World Pt. 1

Our work at SoCe Life can sound pretty exciting at times. When we start knocking on doors, there is no telling what might happen. However, we don’t think of ourselves as adventurers, and we don’t think what we are doing can only be done by us. In fact, we really believe the opposite: we believe anyone, anywhere can be doing the work that we are about. It may look very different than the work we are doing, but the primary values will be the same. To that end, I will be offering a series of reflections on ways you can be discovering the good and beautiful world in your neighborhood!

So, let’s get started.

At SoCe Life, we do not require people to believe in Jesus, or even God for that matter. And we don’t have a hidden agenda to win people’s trust and then convert them to our brand of Christianity. Nevertheless, we are Christians, and our view of the world is definitely shaped by our beliefs. One of our founding beliefs is that God is good, and that God is secretly at work in unexpected places bringing about good in the world. Jesus compared God’s action in the world to yeast that was mixed into a blob of dough, slowly working through the dough until the whole thing was full of yeast.

What does God’s action look like? It shows up in places where there is healing taking place. It is revealed in places where care is being shown. It happens when people share resources. God’s action can be seen in places where people are growing into wholeness. It rules wherever there is love.

I believe God is active in everybody’s life, even though it may be difficult to see at various times. So, the first thing to do, in order to see the good and beautiful world around you, is to see what God is up to. A simple and powerful way to do this, is to take a few minutes each day and write down 5 signs of healing, care, or beauty in your life and/or your neighborhood.

Why is this important? There are so many reasons! First of all, it takes the pressure off of us. If we go through life feeling that we are responsible to bring all that is good into existence, we will quickly grow tired. But if we are always looking around for what is already good, then we will quickly realize we aren’t alone in this. And second, whatever your name is for God (Love, Higher Power, or Jesus, etc.) we need to have something bigger than our little egos that can be the focal point and source of goodness.

So, there you go. That’s step one to discovering the good and beautiful world in your midst. If you have a chance, give it a try and let me know how it goes. I would love to hear about it!

-matt