I grew up in rural North Dakota and would occasionally see movies about events that are a part of our history but were not a part of my reality:  Movies about the civil rights movement or the Holocaust.   Watching those movies would instantly trigger my adrenalin, raise my heart-rate and make every cell in my 5’2 body feel as courageous as David taking on Goliath.   In those moments, I felt invincible and ready to kick some bully-butt!

…At least until a few months ago, when I stumbled across three questions in one of Max Lucado’s books that punched me in the gut so hard it was difficult to breathe. Three questions were so convicting that I had to stop reading.  Three questions that over-time have caused me to think past my image of who I think I am and deeply challenged me to examine my courage and my commitment to others:
<ol>
	<li><em>Had you been in Germany in WWII, would you have taken a stand against Hitler?  </em><em> </em></li>
	<li><em>Had you lived in the South during the civil rights conflict, would you have taken a stand against racism?  </em></li>
	<li><em>When your grandchildren discover you lived during a day when 1.75 billion people were poor and 1 billion were hungry, how will they judge your response?</em></li>
</ol>
In the months that have followed:
<ul>
	<li>I've remembered several situations where I have stood up for those that were being treated unfairly.</li>
	<li>I’ve remembered other situations and wondered if I should have stood firm sooner and held-ground longer.</li>
	<li>I've thought through times my message was right but my delivery could have been much better.</li>
	<li>And I’ve developed a new appreciation for people that had the courage and the character to stand up for others in circumstances that were far more extreme than anything I have ever experienced.</li>
</ul>
I’ve started to pay a lot more attention to people who are taking a stand and making a difference as they encounter needs in their daily lives:
<ul>
	<li>One dear friend has a son being bullied at school and is courageously using her blog to influence parents and teachers to intervene for others that are being victimized.</li>
	<li>Another friend shared a nephew’s article about the Holocaust and urged us to remember that event and learn from it.</li>
	<li>The church my husband and I are attending a recently formed group to help stop human trafficking.</li>
</ul>
Ultimately those three questions have caused me to see issues with fresh eyes and realize how purposeful we must be if we are going to make a difference for others.
<ul>
	<li>Repeatedly the need for character-based leaders in the workplace is emphasized in articles, seminars, networking events and in conversations.</li>
	<li>And after a recent shooting in our community re-opened some historical wounds, many of us were reminded that we need to openly discuss racism, to seek first to understand and to work together for healing.</li>
</ul>
With all of that said, it is interesting to me that on May 4<sup>th</sup> over 85,000 people in over 17 countries will be connected via simulcast for a  global leadership event to discuss the importance of making <strong><a title="Chick-fil-A Leadercast Event" href="http://www.chick-fil-aleadercast.com/">C<em>HOICES THAT MATTER</em></a>.  I am IN AWE that although that theme was chosen months ago, it</strong> i<strong>s exactly what our families, our communities, our countries and our world desperately need us to be intentional about TODAY.</strong>  Are we engaged and courageously challenging our own comfort zones for the good of those around us or are we sitting comfortably and watching the world go by?
<ul>
	<li>If you have the opportunity to participate in that event please do.</li>
	<li>If however, that is not an option,  then take a moment and think about those three questions.  Do they resonate with you?  Then please comment on this post and share them.</li>
	<li>And lastly ask yourself:  Am I making choices that matter? And if not, what are you willing to do to change that?</li>
</ul>
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Thoughts in this post were inspired by:   Mary Beth VonDissen, Erin Schreyer, Jesse Lyn Stoner, Max Lucado and the Members and Staff at The Kirk of The Hills Tulsa.