Salt & Light
Social Responsibility Officer Justin Arnott suggests what the legacy of the last twelve months might be
As we come to the end of the Year of Social Responsibility I am loath to do a ‘year-in-review’ which seems to be starting already!
Because, as one ‘Year of…’ flows into another ‘Year of…’, the overall point of using Salt and Light as an image for this year was that it is the little things that very often have the greatest impact. Little things done over time or even long ago have changed the course of history or profoundly impacted us personally.
Perhaps it is fitting that in the season of Remembrance we are reminded to not just remember the recent year but also those sacrifices, which we can not call little, made by so many in wars past and present; and indeed to the ultimate sacrifice made by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Our prayer that we might be spared making that sacrifice should encourage us to live our lives ensuring that it never happens again.
But how? Well, at the risk of repetition, by doing the little things - encouraging dialogue even between friends and family that have fallen out; resolving to assume positive intent when we might have become offended; choosing to forgive; showing support for those that put their lives in harm’s way for us, all the while understanding that ‘supporting the troops’ does not equate to glorifying war or encouraging violence. Nor should it be an empty statement without any action. Wear a poppy, or even better, join the Royal British Legion. Their work is far more than just the Poppy Appeal.
But even more, be encouraged. In the face of increase military action in the Middle East, the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia and the over 100 other armed conflicts across the world, it would be easy to think that there is very little that can be done. And yet we have the evidence of individuals who have made a change for peace - big names including the likes of Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Jr. or Archbishop Desmond Tutu who is quoted as saying “Do your little bit of good where you are; it is those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” Sounds familiar?
Or the next could be you.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:5