Stop Pouting and Start Transforming
By Rev. Festus Umeojiego

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One of the greatest events of American democracy, electing a President, is over now. It is a quadrennial ritual by which we assert, arguably, that we are the greatest and the freest nation that ever graced the Earth.

Unfortunately, at the end of the process, like most human processes, someone or some group is declared the winner and the other the loser—notwithstanding Rudyard Kipling’s insight to treat winning and losing just the same—as two impostors:

If you can meet with Triumph [winning] and Disaster [losing]
And treat those two impostors just the same.

Some one or some group gloats at winning and another goes into an emotional funk. For those who gloat, I am reminded of an African saying: “no condition is permanent,” and for those in a funk, I will say: “Stop this self-indulgent pouting and start the creative juice of spiritual transformation flowing.” What is often at stake is more than an outcome of one event, regardless of how huge. Do I have the faith to engage with some measure of consistency, the transcendent, organizing forces of the universe towards social evolution and transformation? In other words, do I have the capacity for quick bounce back from the ebbs and flows of time-based events, to stay focused on the work ahead that must be done by me?

Here, I am concerned with the gap between our ideals and our actions. It is not that we are not passionately involved, but that we lose so much ground and have to jumpstart ourselves each time, after a setback.

The key to our entire human situation is a realization of a simple truth: Inherent within us lies the power to transform, not only our lives, but society at large ... we are life transformers. Horace Mann said: “Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity,” (1796–1859, U.S. educator).

Have you accepted your God given power and responsibility as a Life Transformer? Your power to transform starts with your own life and begins with a proper estimate of yourself. Do you sell yourself too short and therefore settle for too little?

In my spiritual tradition, we teach that humankind is created to bring the Kingdom of God to earth. We teach that we are spiritual beings having human experience. As spiritual beings, we have the power to transform the earth to the measure that we catch the vision of our essence as “life transformers.” A life transformer renews his/her mind at each turn on the journey, treating both triumph and disaster just the same—punctuation marks.

The challenge before us at every stage in life is whether or not we have the sustainable passion to work for what is right, just and beautiful. I am reminded of a parable told a long time ago by a great master of the East to his devotes:

There was a rich man who had a steward, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his goods. And he called him and said to him, “What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.

And the steward said to himself, “What shall I do, since my master is taking the stewardship away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. I have decided what to do, so that people may receive me into their houses when I am put out of the stewardship.”

So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he said to the first, “How much do you owe my master?” He said, “A hundred measures of oil.” And he said to him, “Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.” Then he said to another, “And how much do you owe?” He said, “A hundred measures of wheat.” He said to him, “Take your bill, and write eighty.”

The master commended the dishonest steward for his shrewdness; for the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light.”

Over the years, people had wondered whether this great and moral teacher, Jesus, was teaching his followers that the end justifies the means. No!

Actually, He was simply telling his followers: You are the children of the Light ... you have a superior product, but your actions do not passionately and consistently match your ideals. You have something to learn about passionate action from “children of the world [dark].” Or as suggested by Rudyard Kipling, do not just dream or think about it, act!

If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;
If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim.

Action, action, and consistent action and effective organizations are important even for idealists. It is not enough to wish for a better world, we have to work for it. Our world today is faced with many doughty challenges and it often seems that forces that divide humanity are in ascendancy, but that is a limited view that does not take into account the transcendent Spirit with us. Trust the light and work tirelessly for what is good and just!

Festus Umeojiego is Senior Minister of Unity Church on the Northshore, 3434 Central St., Evanston, Illinois. The church welcomes everyone to explore and experience a greater awareness of God at their Sunday services, Sunday school, and child care at 10:30 a.m., and 7:00 p.m. Wednesday Evening Prayer service.

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