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BY YOUR FRUIT YOU ARE KNOWN Sorrow is a fruit; God does not allow it to grow on branches that are too weak to carry it. (Victor Hugo) What other people think of me becomes increasingly unimportant to me; what they think of Jesus as a result of my life becomes increasingly important. (Cliff Richard) The more one knows of oneself the easier it is to forgive others. (Catherine Marshall) As the blossom leads to fruit, so faith should lead to good works. (Richard Whately)

"When I was a young man, I wanted to change the world. I found it was difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation. When I found I couldn't change the nation, I began to focus on my town. I couldn't change the town and as an older man, I tried to change my family. Now, as an old man, I realize the only thing I can change is myself, and suddenly I realize that if long ago I had changed myself, I could have made an impact on my family. My family and I could have made an impact on our town. Their impact could have changed the nation and I could indeed have changed the world." Author unknown

As it is powerfully illustrated in the short story above, if you want to see change in your world you need to start with yourself. I had an opportunity of speaking at SACLA Youth Leaders Assembly 2004 on "The Vision & Passion of Change Agents". It was a great opportunity to influence youth leaders from across the country and I wanted it to be powerful. As I was preparing for this I realised that to make a real impact in your environment you need to be the change you want to see. It was Mahatma Ghandi who said, "You must be the change you want to see in the world." And Jesus, referring to his disciples then and today, said, "You are the light of the world!" These statements are profound and true. If the room is filled with darkness all you have to do is bring in the lamp and darkness disappears as the light replaces it. Daily we complain about the darkness of our times and our world. We grumble as we see injustice, poverty, suffering and we long for the day when things will be different. We wait in quite desperation for someone or something to do something, change something, and make something that will make our world a better place. As we do that the challenge comes back to us: "what am I doing to bring about the change I want to see?" The challenge goes much further than what am I doing, to who am I becoming to bring about the change I want to see. A story is told about how a desperate woman came to Mahatma Ghandi asking that he tell her son to stop eating sugar. Ghandi looked at the woman and the boy and said that they should come back the following week. When they did come the following week, Ghandi told the little boy to stop eating sugar. Puzzled, the woman asked him why he didn't say this to the boy the week before. He replied, "Last week, I was still eating sugar myself and I couldn't tell your son to stop until I stopped."

The question we should ask ourselves is: Am I becoming the change I want see in the world today? As we change ourselves we will surely start to see change in our circle of influence and it is amazing how that circle of influence grows over time. You can change the world in many powerful ways but unless you start with yourself the realisation of that dream will take much longer. What does the You that will change the world look like? Make a few statements to answer this question and write them down and develop a clear picture of the you that will change the world. Once you have developed this picture make changes that will make it a reality. This is how I want to live my life, making a significant difference, and I hope it is the same for you. Let's change the world, together! It is possible.

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