Igniting ‘Dignity’
YMCA Vision 2030 Pillar 4, Just World
World Council Devotions, 08/07/022
This excerpt from the main presentation of the Devotions focuses on the quest for living with hope and aspiring for dignity, as presented by:
Humankind was created from the dust of the earth. They were created in the image of the likeness of God, who gave human beings the breath of life. The very atom of dust which is within us is within humanity and the whole of creation. There is interconnectedness in everything in creation, and this is the wholeness we have spoken about. This wholeness cannot be merely understood intellectually; we have to discover it. It has to be awakened through the spirit, and when it happens, there is a synergy with God. And this is the platform on which dignity must be restored.
For this to happen, we have to create a paradigm shift and change our mindsets, embracing and crafting Vision 2030 as a worldview. We have to deconstruct and reconstruct the new things that we embrace through Vision 2030.
The essential quality that humans have to embrace in this post-covid era is altruism in the form of compassion, empathy, love and sacrifice. Advocacy for dignity must be within this framework. The pandemic has helped us to go through a struggle and process where our altruistic values had to come out in service, compassion and in love for others.
Advocacy has a strong place in bringing forth justice. Advocacy is important in achieving our dignity. We live in a world that is imperfect. Our interconnectedness is important, and we can connect in body, in spirit and in mind with humanity. The people who are marginalised, the children who are suffering because of the war, the deprived indigenous people, we can feel all of them when we embrace this interconnectedness.
The YMCA will be able to give birth to his new humanity, which will be able to transform all the virtues and values and ignite dignity in the humanity that is struggling against the forces of darkness.
We should live with hope, aspire for dignity and allow the spirit of God to lead us, as we are united with the rest of humanity and the rest of creation. We have become advocates and stewards, restoring the dignity of the whole creation.
Over four days at the 20th World Council, we shared in daily Devotions. Each day looked through a Christian faith lens at a value linked to one of the four Vision 2030 Pillars of Impact. And each day we also heard the perspective of a different faith tradition, and our speakers explored the concepts of Wholeness, Hope, Responsibility and Dignity. Let their words offer focus and guidance as you embark on your prayer journey.
World Council article: https://www.ymca.int/devotions-its-all-about-faith/