From Passion to Action

This whole Invisible Children #Kony2012 campaign has kinda blown up, and it's been really awesome to see Twitter, Facebook, and everything else flooded with news about the campaign over the last couple days. The video on YouTube has received over 52.5 million views since 03/05, and the White House has responded to the campaign.

In case you haven't watched the KONY 2012 Trailer, here it is. Watch it...but don't stop there.
 

So you've watched the video, and probably shared the video, but what now? It is so easy to get passionate about something, to feel it tug at your heartstrings, to get fired up about something and speak loudly about it, but at some point, that passion that you feel has to transform into action.

In the case of KONY 2012, that action needs to be in the form of writing/calling your Representatives and Senators, encouraging them to continue in this effort to bring Joseph Kony down, because it doesn't matter how many times the video is shown if the ones who have the power to enforce/enact law are not behind it.

Here is a link where you can find contact info for your elected officials: http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml

This concept is true, however, of not just this campaign. Think about it. How many movements, campaigns, organizations, ideas have you come across that you support, are passionate about? Maybe you feel very strongly about it or talk to those around you about how great it is, but then you stop there. Your emotional passion stays just that and is never transformed into action.

I've seen and felt this many times myself. It is easy to feel the passion, but the action takes a bit or a lot more work. It takes sacrifice of time, money, security, status, etc... and for many, myself included, the action is not worth the sacrifice, or at the very least, the sacrifice scares us unto inaction.

I, sadly, see this all too often with Christians. We are loud to speak out about issues, or invite people to come to church as long as we are online, but if we are asked to give up an afternoon to go feed the homeless, some money every month to support an orphan, or our sense of security to actually talk to someone about Christ or simply get to know, and show God's love to, our neighbors we shy away. What we become so passionate about in theory we shy away from in action because of the work and sacrifice it involves.

So I encourage you today, stand up for your convictions, whether they be political, religious, social, etc... Turn your passion into action. If you believe something enough to talk about it constantly online, stand convicted in it enough to act on it offline.