I love the work of Hugh MacLeod and when I first saw this cartoon posted on Seth Godin’s blog, I thought the same thing Seth thought…Hugh nailed it. Of course all art is about interpretation. I interpreted the cartoon to be more sarcastic…you can’t really bring about change from the inside. You have to break out of the box or out of the company or out of the church before you can really bring about true lasting change. For the one little guy in the cartoon to think he’s changing the system from the inside (when he’s obviously no different that anyone else) seems pathetically naïve.
But the more I thought about this, the more I began to question the philosophy behind this cartoon (if I’ve interpreted it the way Hugh intended). I started thinking about a scriptural precedent and I couldn’t really find one. In fact, I immediately thought of several examples to the contrary—people bringing about dramatic change from the inside.
OK, I’ll concede that Moses couldn’t really change Egypt until he embraced his Hebrew heritage and left the palace. But think about Daniel or Joseph – they changed nations because they chose to work within the system in which they found themselves. Or perhaps the best example of all is God Himself. He couldn’t change mankind (or it’s destiny) until He became a man and did His work from the inside.
Back in the 70’s there was a phrase that really caught on and became part of popular culture, finding it’s way on to t-shirts and bumper stickers. “Bloom where you’re planted.” It’s simple but it’s true. How many people grumble and complain about where they are and constantly try to figure out a way of escaping their present circumstances. They think to themselves, “boy, if I can just get out of here, I can really get some things done!” But in most cases, they are only fooling themselves. They’ll never leave, they’ll never get things done, and they’ll never invest in their current situation either. They waste valuable time looking at the green grass on the other side of the fence and playing “what if.”
The truth is the only value of playing “What if” comes when you actually get off your hinder and do something. God has placed you right where you are for a reason. Do you know what that reason is? Are you investing your time and your talents in the place you find yourself now or pining away, wishing you were in a different place?
I disagree with Hugh. I believe you can change things from the inside. But it’s the hard way. It takes time and patience. You measure success in tiny, incremental steps. But it can be done. What do you need to do today to make a difference and bring about positive change right where you are? Just do it.
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