"All power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
In my opinion, this oft-quoted statement is only half true. While excessive power in the hands of would be dictators definitely corrupts, a perceived lack of power on the part of the rest of us cripples.
We all have power, which is simply the means by which we accomplish things. Without it we would be as useless as a vehicle without an engine, an engine without fuel, or an electrical appliance without access to the grid. So having effective power is not only a good thing but an absolutely essential thing.
In my years of working with counseling clients, members of congregations and other friends and fellow citizens, I’m often struck by how many people, sometime including myself, see themselves as powerless in relation to public officials and others they see as elevated above them.
This shouldn’t be surprising, in that in the first formative 18 years of our lives we’re all in a clearly one down position, controlled by people twice as loud and far stronger and more influential than we were. We may have even been frequently reminded that “as long as you’re in this house you do as you’re told, period.”
Back then we may have imagined that on our 18th birthday we would magically experience the stature and confidence needed to function as fully empowered and equal adults, but for most of us, that didn’t happen. We continued to feel insecure and unsure of ourselves in the presence of others we perceived as having greater power than ourselves. We continued to believe our voice wouldn’t be heard, that our suggestions would fall on deaf ears. As a result we failed to become actively engaged in the affairs of our community, our congregations, our schools and our work places, other than just complaining—or “going along in order to get along.”
But what if we each believed we had all the power we needed to accomplish whatever we were put here on earth to help change for the better?
We’ve all had access to valuable educational opportunities like free public schooling and the availability of all kinds of additional education and training.
We’ve each been given amazing minds capable of identifying and addressing problems, and to do so creatively, assertively and effectively.
We live in a country in which we have far more material assets than most of the rest of the world, and one that offers freedom of speech and assembly and a voice in local and national affairs.
AND, we can each join forces with members of our families, congregations, civic organizations and multiple other groups to add to our voice and our influence to help bring about desired changes.
In short, while we may not have identical forms of power, we each represent a unique set of assets we should never bury, deny they exist, or otherwise fail to use to help make the world a better place.
Jesus was seen by many in his day as just another itinerant Jewish rabbi with little power, the son of an ordinary carpenter living in a Roman occupied and undistinguished part of the world. He once gave the illustration of a poor widow, who would have been considered an even less powerful member of her community, as someone who effectively used the power she had, as follows:
One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up.“There was a judge in a certain city,” he said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people. A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’ The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people, but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’”
Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this unjust judge. Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?”
Let’s be like this seemingly powerless widow, practicing the kind of faith that not only prays but practices the power of persistence and persuasion.
Above all, joined with others who are called to help bring about God’s justice and extend God’s mercy, let’s get over feeling powerless.
- Sir John Dalberg-Acton 1824-1902
We all have power, which is simply the means by which we accomplish things. Without it we would be as useless as a vehicle without an engine, an engine without fuel, or an electrical appliance without access to the grid. So having effective power is not only a good thing but an absolutely essential thing.
In my years of working with counseling clients, members of congregations and other friends and fellow citizens, I’m often struck by how many people, sometime including myself, see themselves as powerless in relation to public officials and others they see as elevated above them.
This shouldn’t be surprising, in that in the first formative 18 years of our lives we’re all in a clearly one down position, controlled by people twice as loud and far stronger and more influential than we were. We may have even been frequently reminded that “as long as you’re in this house you do as you’re told, period.”
Back then we may have imagined that on our 18th birthday we would magically experience the stature and confidence needed to function as fully empowered and equal adults, but for most of us, that didn’t happen. We continued to feel insecure and unsure of ourselves in the presence of others we perceived as having greater power than ourselves. We continued to believe our voice wouldn’t be heard, that our suggestions would fall on deaf ears. As a result we failed to become actively engaged in the affairs of our community, our congregations, our schools and our work places, other than just complaining—or “going along in order to get along.”
But what if we each believed we had all the power we needed to accomplish whatever we were put here on earth to help change for the better?
We’ve all had access to valuable educational opportunities like free public schooling and the availability of all kinds of additional education and training.
We’ve each been given amazing minds capable of identifying and addressing problems, and to do so creatively, assertively and effectively.
We live in a country in which we have far more material assets than most of the rest of the world, and one that offers freedom of speech and assembly and a voice in local and national affairs.
AND, we can each join forces with members of our families, congregations, civic organizations and multiple other groups to add to our voice and our influence to help bring about desired changes.
In short, while we may not have identical forms of power, we each represent a unique set of assets we should never bury, deny they exist, or otherwise fail to use to help make the world a better place.
Jesus was seen by many in his day as just another itinerant Jewish rabbi with little power, the son of an ordinary carpenter living in a Roman occupied and undistinguished part of the world. He once gave the illustration of a poor widow, who would have been considered an even less powerful member of her community, as someone who effectively used the power she had, as follows:
One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up.“There was a judge in a certain city,” he said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people. A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’ The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people, but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’”
Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this unjust judge. Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?”
Luke 18:1-8 New Living Translation
Let’s be like this seemingly powerless widow, practicing the kind of faith that not only prays but practices the power of persistence and persuasion.
Above all, joined with others who are called to help bring about God’s justice and extend God’s mercy, let’s get over feeling powerless.
