“Some men see things as they are and say, why; I dream things that never were and say, why not.”
RFK borrowed the words from George Bernard Shaw and inspired a generation to question the status quo. The same question drives parents nuts as every inquisitive three-year-old asks “why?” Again…and again…and again.
Why?
Why am I paralyzed? Why does God allow poverty and human trafficking? Why me?
I don’t know why God allows injustice. I could waste a bunch of time and effort lamenting and becoming angry about the horrors of kids trapped in sexual slavery. I could yell at God, or try to figure out why He chose these particular kids for this abuse.
I could invent answers, pretend to know “God’s plan.”
It’s all empty noise. Speculation about answers to the unknowable provides the perfect excuse to avoid dealing with the real world.
Or I might acknowledge that He’s God and I’m not. I might be inspired by RFK invitation to choose a different question.
Why not?
Suppose you and I envision those same kids living in freedom, playing, going to school, growing and becoming productive young adults. Suppose we dream about that and ask, “Why not?”
“Why not?” transforms that wasteful “why?” into an inspirational call-to-action. “Why not?” paints a picture of a world made right and offers real, tangible steps we can take toward making it happen.
Doesn’t mean it’ll be easy. Or fast. Or free. That’s okay – following God-sized dreams is usually difficult and costly. But once we see it in our minds – once we ask “Why not?” – we transform wasted lament into tangible possibility.
Why not create a place called HOME OF HOPE where our kids can live in freedom? Why not ride our bikes to support them so they can play and go to school and follow their own dreams?
And, while we’re at it…have you ever thought about being part of a bike tour? Ever thought about riding your bike or being part of the support team, or maybe joining the one-day ride on June 15th? Ever wondered about stepping out of your comfort zone?
Why not?