In this span of time here on earth, that we call life, I believe that each of us has gifts.

Whether these gifts are given or achieved, they still must be developed, lest they remain only pure potential. Each gift – community organizing, encouragement of others, passion for social justice, and a quiet courage in the face of ignorance – is a strength we bring to life in this world. We bring life into this world! What still-undiscovered gifts and strengths might we harbor? What stories and passions might die with us, unless we bring them to life now? How might we discover, and then use these strengths for the greater good?

One way to approach this is to consider ourselves not just individuals, but individuals “netted” or “tethered” together in groups, such as our fellowship, a reading club, or a social justice committee. The group with a common purpose is most often the one that makes progress, and it is good to be a part of one. However, at what point does the group’s energy and power reach the tipping point and become a more obvious and welcome force for change?

Maybe when you join it. And maybe, not until you do. No snowflake may understand that it is the cause of a mighty avalanche of justice. No raindrop may understand that it is the tipping point drop that ends the drought.

When does the bundle of sticks grow stronger than one’s ability to break it? When you grip a tool with your hand, which finger is the one that most securely grips the handle? In a choir, whose voice is it that gives one the goosebumps? We often don’t know, but a group knitted and bundled together transmits strength when needed, flexibility when called for, and purpose that an individual alone might neither muster nor sustain.

It is tempting to lie low, wait for others, expect the next Martin Luther King, Jr. Parker Palmer wrote, “No punishment anyone might inflict on us could possibly be worse than the punishment we inflict on ourselves by conspiring in our own diminishment.” Everything that passes unattempted remains impossible, and our ignorance of the impossible will, if there is a Judgment Day, mock us.

However, what if I am the hero both I and my world have been waiting for? Ah! A hero-in-waiting!

On May 15, Marc Mullinax, professor of religion at Mars Hill University, will be at the Thermal Belt Unitarian Universalist Fellowship to advance the notions that while our individualities are important enough, they are nothing compared to the force for good we are when we voluntarily unite in common cause and purpose.

The Thermal Belt Unitarian Universalist Fellowship meets at 10:30 a.m. on the first and third Sundays of the month. Services are held at 835 N. Trade St. in Tryon. The fellowship welcomes all regardless of their spiritual path, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. Coffee, snacks and fellowship are available after the service.  For more information about the Fellowship call 828-513-0570 or follow them on Facebook at TBUUF.

– article submitted by Phil Nungesser