Amos 6:1, 4-7

Thus says the LORD the God of hosts:
Woe to the complacent in Zion!
Lying upon beds of ivory,
stretched comfortably on their couches,
They eat lambs taken from the flock,
and calves from the stall!
Improvising to the music of the harp,
like David, they devise their own accompaniment.
They drink wine from bowls
and anoint themselves with the best oils;
yet they are not made ill by the collapse of Joseph!
Therefore, now they shall be the first to go into exile,
and their wanton revelry shall be done away with.

‘Woe to the complacent Christians in the United States of America! They stretch comfortably on their couches, eating Cheez-Its taken from the box. They anoint themselves with expensive goodies and are not made ill by the collapse of their brothers and sisters around them.’

It’s so easy to give up the call to greatness that’s in each of us. It’s easy to give up caring for the poor and aged and lonely. It’s easy because it’s natural to tend to take the path of least resistance. Complacency has been a curse to we humans since the fall. It’s that voice that says, “don’t even try, because you’re not going to be perfect right away.” Or “Give up before you get hurt.” Or “Don’t choose the high road, choose the road that’s easiest. Everyone else is.”

The people in history we admire most are the people who pushed these voices aside and struggled on. They were ordinary people like you or me. The only difference is they found a cause, an inspiration and clung to it wholeheartedly. Even when times got rough. What is something that stirs in your soul? What are you being called to?