What's your problem?

For just over half of my working life I’ve worked in defence and aerospace in engineering, project management and change management roles.  All these roles involved problem solving in one form or another.  For the last 14 years I’ve worked for the church and I still find that a lot if my role involves change management and problem solving.  Whether it’s things like building projects, broader church strategy for the future, developing new teaching resources and methods, working with a team to set up a foodbank, or things like helping someone with budgeting or transport problems, going with people to court, supporting families through crises, helping mediate in disputes, etc.  A lot of life, no matter what you do, is problem solving.There are two broad types of problems we face; · external (problems with my job, relationships, the village, the economy, our nation, the world, etc) and · internal (anxiety, illness, selfishness, bitterness, greed, etc).  There will always be problems - the only people that are truly problem-free are dead!  The key question is, “What’s your problem?”  I don’t just mean about the problem of getting a job that allows us to earn the money we want so that we can live in the way we want (although that is a huge problem for many people), we need problems to solve that are bigger than that. When I ask, “ What’s your problem?” I mean, what moves your heart? What problem is worthy of you giving your best energies to solve? How do you want the world to be different because you’re part of it?

Our world is facing some major problems: 2001 was the start of the ‘war on terror’; the 2008 financial crash took the world into a major recession, which is still having an impact; we are seeing the rise of the far-right across the globe; a rise in tensions between east and west; there is the ongoing and growing problem of poverty, injustice and inequality in the world (including our own country); and the past two decades have seen us come to a far greater understanding of the negative impact we are having on our environment.So what problems ‘move’ you?Concern for the environment is something that moves many people and the work of people like Greta Thunberg and Extinction Rebellion, have shown ways that ordinary people can get involved in campaigning for change.  There are other brilliant local initiatives too: Kineton Farmers Market helps local businesses to reach local people, the new Zero Waste pop-up shop in the Catholic church in Kineton was a sell-out success, there are growing numbers of places for recycling different waste items around our villages, and more.People find themselves moved by many other causes too.  I’m inspired by the many people in our communities who give their time, money and energy for things like Carers4carers, Meet and Eat, scouts, guides, music festivals, village halls, village fetes, sports clubs, youth groups, toddler groups, friends of the school and so much more.  Others pour time and energy into raising money and awareness for local and national charities.  All these groups, places, activities, events exist because people saw a need/problem and worked out something that they could do to help make a difference.  The great things that we see going on in our communities help build our confidence in the good side of human nature.  However, the scale of the problems in the world show that there is a darker side to human nature.  And this is the root cause of many of the world’s problems.Gus Speth* said, “I used to think that the top environmental problems were biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse and climate change. I thought that with 30 years of good science we could address those problems...  But I was wrong….  The top environmental problems are selfishness, greed and apathy… and to deal with those we need a spiritual and cultural transformation. And we scientists don’t know how to do that.”Addressing those problems and others like them (for example: bitterness, fear and unforgiveness) is only possible through a change of heart.  The scale of the problems in our world might seem insurmountable, but the things we do for good in our communities, and in the wider world, all help to bring light into the darkness and help to change hearts in others and in ourselves. In small and big ways we can make a difference.That’s why Jesus called those who follow him to be salt and light in the world; because he knew the root cause was in our hearts and as we do our part to help bring change, then our hearts change and we help other hearts to change too.  Similar sentiments are found in many world religions, who are likewise committed to a spiritual and cultural revolution.So what’s your problem?  What moves you? What gets you all wound up and saying, “Someone should do something about that”?  Because, maybe, that is the beginning of a call to make a difference in that area; to help solve that problem.Rev Barry Jackson* Gus Speth is an environmental advocate who has been lobbying and advising governments since the early 1980s