Cory Booker, mayor of Newark, shared the following thoughts at Willow Creek’s Leadership Summit:
“Every person has the opportunity to teach us something if we are willing to listen.
We will always face outrageous adversaries. We must be willing to stand regardless of the storm.
We were born and face opportunities as a result of a grand conspiracy of love. What are we going to do about that? Are we going to grow up dumb, fat, and happy? Getting drunk on the efforts and sacrifices of those who came before me?
Will we take advantage of the opportunities you’ve been given or let the world tell us who we are?
We are experiencing a world that is better than it used to be because people before us saw something different. What we see in the world is a result of our character. The world you see outside of you is always a reflection of what is inside of you. Do you see what’s broken only or do you see with eyes of hope?
The only way to make change in this world is to start with ourselves. It it is to be, it is up to me. Do we believe that we can make a difference in this world if we are willing to live out our values? People don’t care what we preach or teach but how we live and give. We have so many distractions! Don’t miss the opportunity that God puts right in front of your face! Every moment of every day we have the opportunity to accept things the way they are or to change things. Our kindness can transform a bad situation into a good one.
‘When sticks are bundled, they cannot be broken.’ – African proverb
Can we feel the love of the conspirators, those who sacrificed to give us the world in which we live? If so, what are we going to do about it?
How can we make a difference in our world?
