Get Off the Sidelines and Into the Game

It is easy to watch. It is easy to criticize. It is easy to point out everything that somebody else should be doing differently. But communities are not strengthened by spectators. They are strengthened by people willing to get involved, accept responsibility, and do their part.

In sports, a benchwarmer may wear the uniform and be part of the team, but the game is ultimately decided by the people who step onto the field or court and play.

I believe the same principle applies to our communities.

If we want stronger neighborhoods, better opportunities for our children, thriving local organizations, responsible leadership, successful businesses, and a community we can be proud to pass along to the next generation, then we cannot simply sit back and hope somebody else makes it happen.

We have to get in the game.

Getting involved does not necessarily mean running for public office or becoming the president of an organization. Sometimes involvement begins with something much smaller.

It might mean volunteering at a school, coaching a youth team, helping at a local organization, supporting a local fundraiser, serving through your church, checking on an elderly neighbor, mentoring a young person, attending a community meeting, or simply helping someone who needs a hand.

There are countless ways to contribute.  The important thing is that we do.

I have always believed that we each have something to offer. We have different abilities, experiences, resources, connections, and opportunities. Not everyone will serve in the same way, and that is exactly how it should be. A strong community needs people willing to contribute in many different areas.

One person may have the ability to lead.  Another may have the ability to organize.  Someone else may have the resources to support an important cause.  Another person may simply have a few hours available to volunteer.

It all matters.

Too often, however, we convince ourselves that somebody else will handle it.

Somebody else will volunteer, speak up, serve, help, lead. But eventually, somebody has to decide to become that somebody else.  That is where making a difference begins.

There is also a difference between complaining about a problem and becoming part of the solution. Every community has challenges. We will never agree on every issue or every solution. But I believe constructive involvement will accomplish far more than constant criticism from the sidelines.

If you believe something needs improvement, get involved.

If you believe an organization is doing important work, support it.

If you see someone struggling, help them.

If you believe young people need positive examples, become one.

If you believe your community needs stronger leadership, demonstrate leadership yourself.

You do not need permission to care about your community.

You simply need the willingness to serve.

My faith has taught me that we are called to do more than simply look after ourselves. We have a responsibility to care about our neighbors and use whatever abilities and opportunities God has given us to serve others. I believe faith should be demonstrated through action, not merely through the things we say, but through the way we live and the way we treat the people around us.

That includes investing ourselves in the place we call home.

Making a difference is not always glamorous. Most meaningful community work happens without recognition. There may not be a photograph, an award, or even a thank-you.

And that is all right.

The goal should not be recognition.

The goal should be making things better.

I also believe involvement creates ownership. When you invest your time and energy in your community, you begin seeing it differently. It is no longer simply the place where you live. It becomes something you helped build and feel responsible for protecting and improving.

That sense of ownership is important.

Strong communities are built generation after generation by ordinary people who decided their community was worth their effort.

They showed up.

They volunteered.

They gave.

They served.

They led.

They encouraged others.

And when something needed to be done, they did not wait around hoping someone else would take care of it.

Our generation has that same responsibility.

We are helping determine what kind of community our children and grandchildren will inherit. The decisions we make today, the organizations we support, the people we encourage, and the example we set will have consequences long after we are gone.

That should challenge all of us.

We can spend our time pointing toward everything that is wrong, or we can put our hands to work strengthening what is right.

We can be spectators, or we can be participants.

We can sit on the bench, or we can get into the game.

There is plenty of room on the sidelines. There will always be people willing to sit there and tell everyone else how the game should be played.

What every community needs more of are people willing to step onto the field.

So find your place.

Find something you care about.

Find somewhere you can serve.

You do not have to change the entire community by yourself. Start with one person, one organization, one neighborhood, one project, or one need.

Then show up and do what you can.

Because communities do not become stronger by accident.

They become stronger when good people decide they are no longer content to sit on the sidelines.