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10 Minutes Peace
by Susan McGrath
I recently heard a well-known talk radio personality ask a journalism student who called in to the show, "Why do you want to become a journalist?"
I had the answer on my lips before the kid could word his noble reply. (Having been that student, I won't say how many years ago, I remember the itching feeling of wanting to make a difference.)
His reply: "To let people know the truth." I shook my head as I heard it and the host simultaneously said, "Wrong answer. The correct answer (yes, I can say it with you) is to change the world."
He went on to explain to this eager, yet naive student that if you tell people you want to expose the truth, you will have trouble doing so.
Unfortunately, whether it's the stress of meeting a daily deadline on the local newspaper or the challenge of keeping my sanity while being in a house with only preschool companionship all day, such a lofty goal as changing the world is elusive at best.
What did I think I would fix as I headed into a jaded world of news reporting? Localized problems to begin with: college administrators who didn't know what the students needed; student government that was not representative of the student body; lack of parking spaces on campus!
Did any of these things create a global impact? Did I change the world with my solid reporting or even with a clever editorial? Probably not. Did I make things better for a few people in a limited area? Possibly. Did I give a voice to someone who was frustrated and crying to be heard? I hope so.
My dream of changing the world is still alive, but I realize the only way I can achieve it is one person at a time. I have to begin with my own home and workplace, loving and teaching my children and those I with whom I work.
More importantly, I need to focus on the one person who has had a global impact on every generation for thousands of years. If Jesus Christ is my truth and living for him is my goal, I can have an impact from which the ripples may travel the globe.
"For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth." - 2 Corinthians 13:8
Rate it:
a recovering journalist trying to encourage others and glorify God through writing;
living the small-town life with husband Tim and sons Lincoln, 12, and Sawyer, 6;
completing a few put-off writing projects while using chocolate for therapy.
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