Post by Chad Houck, GivMusic Blog Contributor: Chad is the co-founder and director of World Wins International.  You can follow Chad and his family on their travels at http://share5.org.

I was recently reading a blog post from a gentleman named Lee Bezotte.  He was describing an experience that he recently had (with his six year old son in tow) that regretfully is both symbolic of a growing tendency in our society and an unfortunate consequence of our own insecurities combined with a slightly skewed view of reality.

In his post, he mentioned visiting a handful of churches in his community on a weekday with the intent of inviting the pastors and staff to a workshop on social media.  Stepping out of the social web space and into the physical world, he was shocked at how inaccessible these churches really were.  Some were locked down and empty mid-week, with nary a person to be found.  The most poignant, however, was the church that had grown so large, so popular, and possibly so controversial in its community that the staff “greeted” them… from behind a wall of bulletproof glass.

Like so many things in life can, reading his post has caused me to have a recently heightened awareness of my own speech and actions.  Last month, for instance, my family and I had committed to walk in the shoes of, or more accurately the lack of shoes of another, during a local TOMS Day Without Shoes event. The day of the event came, and we were surprised by the unseasonably cold 44-degree, rainy weather which caused the turnout to be much lower than we anticipated.  I remember considering whether or not this small gathering could really make a difference to anyone, and whether my family and I should just “pack it in.”  My answer came in the form of a small, enthusiastic group of young students.  Barefoot and smiling, they gleefully marched out into the cold and rain to chant “surrender your shoes” to the unassuming downtown businessmen we passed by on our march.  These young people were willing to undergo a little discomfort on behalf of children they likely will never meet so that others might hear their story . More importantly, they simply did what they said they would do.   Chalk up one more point for third graders.

I was watching the Amazing race on Hulu last night, and following the wrap up of the episode, I jumped to the behind the scenes clips of the different contestants.  Of particular note, the one comment that caused me to back up and watch it twice was that of former Miss Teen USA contestant Catie, talking about how truly generous she was.  After running down the list of all the things she’d “do” if she won the $1 Million prize, she sums up her interview with this statement:

“If I could, I’d just give everything I have to someone less fortunate than me.  That’s how nice of a person I am.”

-Seriously.

The bottom line: sometimes it is very easy to sit back and talk about what motivates us, what moves us, or who we are when we are separated from actually having to walk it out.  It is almost as if we are seated securely behind bulletproof glass, insulated from the reality of the world outside.

Unfortunately, all to often we allow our very lives begin with “If I could…”  We don’t hold ourselves accountable enough to realize that there is actually nothing stopping us from doing exactly what we say we can’t.  Catie- not to pick on you, but WHATS STOPPING YOU?  And for the rest of us, WHAT’S STOPPING US?

We must reach beyond ourselves to make a difference.  Are you behind the glass and just don’t realize it?  How do you deconstruct the bulletproof barrier that is separating you from the very people you say you want to help?

The answer, simply, is action.  Walk your talk.  If you say that you are concerned about the needs of the homeless, call your local homeless shelter today and ask them how you can serve them and those they serve.  Take a dozen pair of clean, new socks to somewhere that homeless stay.  Add a few PB&J’s.  Stay and talk.  Start small.  It will grow.

You say you have a heart for the elderly?  Hit your favorite search engine for a retirement home near you then go down to volunteer.  Take a board game.  Ask someone there to teach you how to knit.

Want something simple and inexpensive to do with your friends or your kids? Make blankets for hospitalized children through your local chapter of Project Linus. Here is a simple video how-to, and your local chapter can tell you what size, style or age range blankets they are in greatest need of.

Whatever it is, most importantly, lets bring integrity to the words we speak.  Lets get out from behind the safety of our comfort zones and get our hands dirty by being involved in the world around us.  For that matter, if we’re getting dirty anyway, lets get in all the way up to our elbows!  Armpits anyone?