Holy Discontent July 8, 2011
So Tuesday night, July 5th, I am in Chicago for the U2 Concert that I have been patiently waiting to see now for a year and half. Prior to the concert on the HUGE over head screen that U2 has for their concerts, the band has scrolled statistic after statistic about different things going on in the world such as:
Blog posts today worldwide: 3,430,000
Amount spent on illegal drugs so far this year $203,848,750,000
People worldwide that have died of hunger today 35,520
Over 7.5 billion $$ spent every day worldwide by governments on education
Money spent today on video games $57,700,000
How there will be over 140 billion Tweets that day
There were other statistics too that I didn’t get a chance to write down, such as the number of abortions year to date, the number of cig’s bought on a daily basis, number of babies born that day, number of people infected with HIV/AIDS and the scroll went on and on. It really made me reflect on what is important and how people in general, myself included, really take things for granted.
That scroll also had me thinking a lot about how active U2 is in Africa and about how what is going on in Africa is a Holy Discontent for the front man of the group, Bono.
1) How would you define what a Holy Discontent is?
2) Do you have a Holy Discontent? If so, would you share with the group what it is?
3) Is it important that we have a Holy Discontent? Why or why not?
4) Have you ever taken action on your Holy Discontent? If so, what was the outcome?
5) Is there anything holding you back from acting on your Holy Discontent? Is there anything anyone in the group can help you with so that you can act on it?
In his book, Holy Discontent, Bill Hybels says “Once you find your holy discontent, do whatever you must do to feed it. If this sounds counterintuitive, it’s because it is. But as I’ve often said, the ongoing danger regarding a person’s holy discontent is that its energy will wane. The fuel will dry up. The firestorm will fizzle out.”
Questions for Honest Reflection (from Bill Hybels)
Finding your holy discontent doesn’t require rocket science. All it takes is your candid input to a handful of probing statements. Grab your laptop or your journal and complete the twenty-one sentence starters offered in the following guided personal reflection exercise, paying close attention to the thoughts and emotions elicited as you go.
Moses couldn’t stand oppression and abuse.
Mother Teresa couldn’t stand extreme poverty.
For Martin Luther King Jr., it was racism.
For Bono, it is apathy.
Now it’s your turn … what is it for you?
1. Other people have told me—and I see it in myself—that I seem to be passionate about…
2. When I consider the world around me, I can’t stand to see…
3. If I had to pinpoint two or three things I’ve experienced that probably cause me to feel this way, they include…
4. In my heart of hearts, I think it’s unacceptable when…
5. I have no category for…
6. I don’t think God intends for certain things to be true, such as…
7. I don’t want to live in a world where…
8. I refuse to stand by and watch the unfolding of…
9. When I consider situations that have catalyzed “self-discovery” in my life, they include…
10. What I learned about myself on the heels of those experiences is that I…
11. In the course of everyday life, I tend to gravitate toward people who…
12. I tend to gravitate toward roles that leverage my…
13. I feel most satisfied and fulfilled when I’m focused on…
14. The most heart-wrenching experiences I’ve endured include…
15. The reason they wrecked me is that…
16. If I had to name one passion pursuit that makes my heart beat fast, I’d say it is…
17. There are certain experiences that always seem to increase my energy and zest for living. They include…
18. Certain people have the same effect. They include ones who…
19. I think part of the reason God put me on the earth is to…
20. If I could make a difference in one aspect of the world and knew that I would not fail, it would be…
21. It might seem silly or insignificant, but one world-changing dream I’ve always seemed to carry is to…