Sometimes It Takes a Neighbor

This week on the Higher Purpose Podcast, I spoke with Danielle Strickland about what it means to flourish and to live a life truly free of oppression. We discussed some inspiring and often misunderstood stories from Exodus, and you can listen to the whole episode here, but what I want to explore in this post today is a story that Danielle Shared during the interview. Actually, it’s the story that led to our having the interview.I won’t share too much of the story here – you’ll have to listen to the podcast for that! – but Danielle had an experience where, in order to gain access to a brothel in order to start making connections with sex workers who may have been trafficked – it took a neighbor of the establishment bearing a basket of cupcakes rather the Salvation Army professional whose mandate it was.This is a tremendously important idea – that sometimes the human connection of a friend, neighbor, or family member can vastly outperform the presence or, I might even say ‘meddling’ of a professional.At the end of the day, people are people, and we relate to each other at the emotional and spiritual level in a way that we don’t or can’t always connect with professionals entering a situation with all of the gravity of authority.Now, this is a fairly intuitive concept – of course, people connect on the PERSONAL level more easily than the professional one – but its impacts are profound.  It means that whether or not you have credentials, or authority, or some kind of institutional backing, you still have, at this very moment, in your hands, the power to create change and make a difference in the world.To illustrate this point, consider Moses, and the task he was given by God to set the Israelites free. God commanded Moses to use what he had – and what he had was a staff. And so when he needed to, he was able to use that simple tool to perform miracles.What you have available to you now: your skills, your abilities, and your connections in your community are all tools that can be used effectively to make changes in your life and the lives of others. All too often, we hesitate to put ourselves forward, to speak out or challenge the status quo, because we feel that we aren’t strong enough, or powerful enough, or that people won’t take us seriously.But that is a myth – you have everything you need to follow your calling, and serve the Lord as you are meant to. When you are aligned with your purpose, and know what it is you need to accomplish – you will arrive at the question of how.God has answered and continues to answer this for us every day.He says to use what you have – and everyone has something.That is what I invite you to reflect on this week, and what we’re going to be discussing in the Higher Purpose Facebook Community on Thursday this week – what you have available to you NOW to follow God’s plan for you, and do you hold back out of the fear that it isn’t enough?You ARE enough, God made you that way, and just like there are times when a neighbor with cupcakes can be more successful than a professional with a uniform and title, sometimes there is a job that only you can accomplish.I encourage you to listen to the full interview with Danielle, and if you like what you hear (which I am confident you will!) please subscribe to the podcast, and leave us a review to help more people connect with our community.Next week I have a special solo episode ready for you – I am going to be talking about something many people have brought to my attention as difficult or challenging for them is finding purpose at work. So in the coming weeks I have interviews with a series of professionals who all have different and valuable answers to that question.