Take Action!

I attended my church's monthly business meeting tonight. In this meeting, something was about to happen that I knew wasn't right. I originally thought that I could wait to bring it up between now and the next meeting because I belived that there was going to be no vote this month, but when I realized there was going to be a vote and no one else noticed what I noticed, I took action. I first made sure that my suspicions were correct by asking questions. When I found out I was right, I pointed out the issue and when the leaders realized what I was trying to tell them, they quickly explained and postponed the vote until all issues would be corrected. Why do I bring this up? Because I want to encourage everyone out there to be informed and when you know or believe something is not right and no one else is saying anything, you need to step up and take action. It does not matter if they are the leaders and you are just one person, sometimes the leaders make mistakes and you need to try to correct those mistakes or issues. I have learned this important lesson in the last four years of being involved in groups, committees, and meetings. I can recall several important decisions that were made during that time and I had opportunities to say something but I did not. I trusted that my leaders knew better and kept my mouth shut. Each and every time I did, I now look back on each one and wish I would have said something or done something different. It might not have changed people's minds in some cases, but at least I would be able to look back and say, "At least I stepped up and took action." Tonight I can say that and it prevented a major issue going forward. Are there times when you feel you could have stepped up and took action for something you knew was important but didn't? Do you regret those times? Well, don't. God gives us these experiences for a reason: to learn from your mistakes and not keep repeating them. So don't be intimidated. Take action!