Gear up! It’s time to understand the story of need so you’ll know how, where and when you can and should “share” the story of need. (If you’re still not sure where you want to get involved, browse through our Wiki.)
Decode the need
In order to effectively enter into the story of need, in whatever ways you’re given to do so, you have to understand it in all its complexity. (The reverse is also true, of course.)
- Learn as much as you can about the need that tugs at your heart. Learn its history and its current expression. Live and breathe its story. If you’ve become passionate about ending the scourge of human trafficking, for example, it’s your privilege to “share” in that story by reading books, weighing opposing viewpoints, asking questions, consulting experts, visiting places where trafficking occurs, talking to and getting to know victims, getting involved in the modern-day abolition movement, donating money, hosting awareness events, and so much more.
- A good place to start for resources, links and summaries about specific Problems, People and Places is our Wiki.
- You might also find our blog, column, podcast and serial useful, if only for the questions they raise and the perspective they provide.
- This is not a one-semester course where you read some books, take a test, get a grade and move on. A calling is for life and so is learning to live out that calling. See yourself as a life-long student of your specific story of need, and as you learn, help open other people’s eyes to that need.
Make room in your life
- Aspire to never be too busy with other commitments to enter into the story of need. Time is not money, time is opportunity to serve, and making time for whatever needs might come to our attention, is one of the most significant tools we have at our disposal.
- Being a “Story-Sharer” means living your life around your calling, not the other way around.
Wrestle with your questions
When it comes to living a new story, there are always so many questions. Here are a few that you might be asking:
- I’m used to thinking of myself in a certain way. You’re asking me to think of myself and my life in a different way. But how can I do that in practice?
- I’m just one person and the need is so big. What can I really do that will matter?
- If I do live a new story, what will that mean for my family and me?
- Who is it I’m doing this for? People in need or myself?
- What if I do more harm than good? Is it better just to do nothing?
These questions won’t go away permanently no matter how well we answer them, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Our questions help keep us grounded and humble, and in that sense, they’re almost like companions on the way of service. There are no guarantees. There never are when someone is embarks on an adventure.
Nevertheless, we do want to offer a quote and a link to an MP3 as preliminary answers to the above questions:
“Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time and always start with the person nearest you.” (Mother Teresa)Listen to the second half of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s, “I’ve Been to the Mountain Top” speech, starting from minute 28 of the audio version, which begins, “Now let me say as I move to my conclusion, that we’ve got to give ourselves to this struggle until the end…” Dr. King gave this speech in support striking sanitation workers in Memphis, Tenn., the day before he was assassinated.
You can never know all there is to know about the story of need. But you can and will encounter a bloodied stranger by the side of the proverbial road. Will you respond by moving to the other side, or like the protagonists in the best stories, will you leave the road to help, not knowing what will happen when you do?
