In any moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing." -Teddy Roosevelt
We're living in a world where doing nothing, passively letting the world spin on, is the norm. Action frightens the crowds because it disrupts the status quo. Action keeps change changing. Apart from action, change fizzles and dies.
While I expect the world to keep getting worse until Christ returns that doesn't mean I am allowed to passively sit by and watch. I am called to follow my Savior into a battle against the powers and rulers of this dark world and the forces of evil in the heavenly realms. I am called to actively stand for truth, for goodness, for beauty, for righteousness.
Will I fail? Yes. But doing nothing is failing before I even begin. In taking action there is hope that God will work through me to enact His change upon this needy world. And more importantly, through my humble actions, God will change my heart.
As much as God cares for the world, He also cares for me. It's a paradox from learning of God's love. The more I learn of His love for me, the more aware I am of how insignificant I am in the whole of creation. Yet the more of learn of God's love for the world the more I realize just how deeply and personally He loves me.
So do we act to create change in the world? Yes. Why? Because it will change us. And do we act in hope of growing ourselves and sharpening our character? Yes. Why? Because God will use those actions to change the world. It's a beautiful paradox that reminds me of how awesome the God I serve is.