Tuesday, September 18, 2007

CHANGE AGENTS - FOUR LEPERS WHO MADE HISTORY

This is the story of four outcasts who made history not too long ago in a city called Samaria. They had a disease called Leprosy, and their society had banished and ostracized them. Therefore, they lived outside of the city, at its entrance. 2 Kings 7:1-11.
At the time, Samaria was experiencing a famine so severe that some of its citizens had begun to resort to cannibalism. The King had become so desperate for change that he approached a Prophet in the city, called Elisha. In those days, prophets were the mouthpiece of God. Elisha, under divine inspiration, informed the king that within the next 24 hours, God would cause abundance to come to the city in such a way that “nine litres of flour or eighteen litres of bailey
Grain will be sold in the market of Samaria for 40p.” So ridiculous was the prophecy that the King’s personal assistant, who had accompanied him, did not believe it. He said, “That couldn’t happen if the Lord made windows in the sky!” The King’s assistant, engulfed by famine, could not see how a miracle would occur within 24 hours.
In the meantime, outside of the city gates, the four lepers were experiencing the same hunger pangs that everyone else in the city was experiencing. They knew nothing about the meeting the King and the Prophet, nor the prediction that within 24 hours there would be abundance at the gates of Samaria.
But rather than sitting down and wishing that things would get better, the lepers decided to do something to change their situation. They decided to act upon overcoming starvation, and they moved towards the camp of the Syrians their enemies. That step changed their history forever.
When they got to the camp of the Syrians, no one was there! The Lord had filled the Syrians’ minds with the sound of a great army approaching, the clatter of speeding chariots and the galloping of horses. The Syrians assumed the king of Israel had hired men to attack them, and in panic and fear, they fled into the night, abandoning their tents, horses, donkeys, and stores. The lepers got to the camp and had a feast.
The turning point in the lives of the poor lepers came when they asked themselves, “Why sit here until we die?” This statement was the catalyst for the breakthrough they needed. And when they took action, they fulfilled the prophecy. It was the step that brought the reality of the promise of abundance that God had in store for them. Had they not taken that first step, had they not moved towards their dream, the prophecy would have gone unfulfilled, and they and the rest of the inhabitants of Samaria would have starved to death even though abundance was there, waiting for them to step out and collect it.
The four lepers became the agent of change for their city and the instruments through which God’s plans and purpose for their generation were accomplished.
We learned these lessons:
- Prophecies and promises go unfulfilled without corresponding actions.
- God often works through ordinary people, even outcasts like lepers, who know nothing about His plans but who are willing to take the steps necessary to fulfil His promises.
- Work is the father of opportunity and the mother of luck. The more we apply ourselves to the task, the more opportunities we’ll have and the “luckier” we’ll become. The lepers were “lucky” because they worked.
What was special about the lepers? Nothing. In fact, they were at a major disadvantage in life. They were discounted as failures in the eyes of their society. But they discovered the power of taking risks.

TAKING RISKS
History is usually made by ordinary people who take extraordinary risks.
Is profit not rightly defined as the return on risk? In business parlance, “high risk, high return: low risk, low return” is the law of the land. However, when it comes to decisions in life, we most often settle for low-risk ventures. Little wonder the returns on our lives are not commensurate with our potential for success.
How risky were the adventures of the four lepers? They took a step forward in hope that their enemies, the Syrians, would spare them a meal although that step held the possibility of death for them. They knew that their present situation held no future for them, but rather than sitting around hoping for change, they took a risky step forward towards the camp of their well-fed enemies.
If risk entails leaving a presently negative situation in pursuit of a better prospect even if it holds the possibility of failure, then it is worth it. If the risk holds the option of a new beginning, then it is worth taking.
The truth is, it is risky to remain in a negative situation. It is risky to remain at a job that you loathe. It’s like remaining in a boat that is sinking when life has given you chance to walk on the water of opportunity. Opportunities will pass you by if you don’t step out and take risks like the four lepers.
The greatest risk in life lies, not in taking risks, but in failing to take them.

SUCCESS, ANTIDOTE TO PREJUDICE
The four lepers teach us that success is just a step away. But they also show us that success changes people’s perception of us.
While success might not be able to change our background, race, colour, sex, and so on, it has power to change other peoples’ opinions. The success of the lepers did not change that fact that they were lepers, but it changed the way they were seen and treated by their society. Before they succeeded, they were outcasts, abandoned to the outskirts of the city. But once they found success, they were not only allowed back into the city, they were invited into the King’s palace to convey the good news.
The King and his people no longer viewed them as lepers. Instead, they saw them as agents of change, people with the solution to the problem of famine. They teach us the following:

- When you have the solution to the problems of your generation, their prejudices usually disappear. Even a purebred racist, sexist, etc, would praise the person who discovered the cure for cancer or HIV/AIDS.
- The easiest way to change people’s opinion of you is to succeed. Prejudices take years to form, and it would take years of campaign for it to change. South Africa is still not completely free from Apartheid. American blacks are still not free from racism, despite passing of nearly 150 years since the Emancipation Proclamation. However, on an individual level, all that changes once you succeed. Colin Powell became the first black Secretary of State in U.S. history, and nobody campaigned against it. Why? He was a testimony of success.
- Success opens door that have previously been shut due to our colour, race, or gender. The doors shut before the four lepers were immediately opened when they had good news for the citizens of Samaria.
- It is not how you look that counts, it’s what you reflect. Who remembers Abe Lincoln because of his looks? When Nelson Mandela’s name is mentioned, is it his looks that come to mind? Even today, with all emphasis on beauty, it’s crystal clear that people are remembered, not for their looks, but for their accomplishments, no matter how big or small they may seem.


REASONS WHY PEOPLE FAIL TO ACT ON THEIR DREAMS
Why do people fail to act on their dreams? While the reasons are numerous, let’s discuss two:
- Analysis paralysis:
Analysis paralysis is a buzzword in business used to describe people who are always analysing situations but are never able to take action. They want conditions to be perfect before they start. I call them, “Prisoners of Hope.”
- Unwillingness to start small:
They want to start with a bang, and if they cannot, they would rather not take the little steps necessary to reach their dreams. They want the lead actor role in a play of greatness and if they can’t get it immediately, they would rather not participate in the play.

PRISONERS OF HOPE
These groups of people are those who sincerely hope that someday conditions will be favourable. Someday, opportunities will knock at their door. Someday, conditions will be perfect and they will have a luck break in life. They live in a fool’s paradise called “someday.” Their hope of a better tomorrow has kept them in prison today. They cannot move on, or accomplish great things in life, because they have built prison doors around themselves and committed their release to “ Mr. Someday.”
Don’t be a prisoner of hope. Don’t allow your hope for a better tomorrow to blindfold you to the opportunities that are before you today. Don’t allow your hope of a brighter future to blind your eyes to the dawning of a new day. Turn! Take a bold step. Leave your present state. Take the necessary actions towards your goal, and you will find that success has been waiting for you all while.
Break free from the “tomorrow” mentality. It doesn’t really exist. Between a thousand yesterday and a million tomorrows, there is only today. Today is the only day to accomplish greatness. TODAY IS THE DAY TO BEGIN YOUR SUCCESS STORY. There will never be another day like today. You will not enjoy successes you were meant to enjoy today if you postpone it to someday.
Abraham Lincoln once observed, “The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time.” Today, therefore, is not only the dawning of a new day; it is the unfolding of your future. Utilize it effectively. No matter what your dream or goal is in life, there is something about it that you can do to make it a reality.
And do it daily. Remember that great people do daily, what ordinary people do occasionally. Use the summer period of your life to prepare for greatness. Follow the advice of the sage, “ A wise youth makes hay while the sun shines, but what a shame to see a lad who sleeps away his hour of opportunity.” Proverb 10:5. Don’t sleep away your hour of opportunity. Wake up to the demands and challenges of your future. Destiny beckons everyday. Respond to it. Recall the success of the ants. The ants teach us the principle of urgency. Why do they labour hard all summer? Because they do not want to be caught hungry in winter. They use the summer period of their lives to prepare for “the retirement” of winter.
From the ants, we learn that success is maximizing each moment, each day, each season; to live with a sense of urgency that you are willing to work hard all summer because you know that winter is about to begin, when conditions will no longer be favourable.
People who succeed are driven by the passion of the now. Maximise your day.

QUOTE FOR TODAY
“Our grand business is not to see what lies dimly at a distance, but to do what is at hand.” – Thomas Carlyle

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