Put your hands where your mouth is' - Opinion
The world is a loud place to be right now.
Everyone wants to say what they think about wars, politics, who's right, who's wrong, how we got here, where to go next. Read it, listen to it, take it with you on your phone. Opinions, speculation, truth, lies, all swirling and whirling together, everywhere, all the time.
So much noise.
But maybe because there's so much noise, when we witness someone back up their words and beliefs with an unequivocal, heartfelt action, we are profoundly moved.
Moved in a millions-of-views kind of way.
Enter the cowboys.
You may be one of the millions who saw the now-viral shares on social media about four young men from Arkansas and Montana who got on a plane last week and flew to Israel. They went to volunteer with a project that's raising money for and distributing supplies to vulnerable communities and farms during the war.
According to cowboy Ezekiel Strain, when they learned of the war in Israel, they “dropped everything” and got in motion to get there, because going to help out was “the important thing to do.”
Who does that? Who just drops everything to follow their convictions halfway across the world? Who so deeply desires to help others that they would willingly run toward a country at war where terrifying atrocities were perpetrated barely a month ago?
It seems to me that to do what these cowboys have done, you have to have such a strong sense about what you believe is right that you can't help but do something. You have to be confident that your individual actions matter and have the power to make a difference. You have to have a big priority on loving and serving others.
You've got to be someone who “puts their hands where their mouth is,” as one interviewer put it.
I think the cowboys went viral not only because of their sweet, humble charm or the novelty of their hats, boots, and big belt buckles. I think people see that they believe in something they did something real about it — and not for the attention, but because it was the right thing to do.
I think we like that.
Maybe this world needs a little less talk and a little more action.
What are you and I going to do about that today, partner?
