Reach out and touch 

Somebody's hand 

Make this world a better place

If you can

–from Diana Ross's iconic single,
"Reach Out and Touch"

You may have heard the saying, 'If you're going through hell, keep going.' We cannot improve our lives or help others when we allow life's challenges to stop us in our tracks. Sometimes we must pause, breathe, and take inventory—but we do so specifically to find the strength to move forward and continue on our paths.

We all have the power to make the world kinder, more generous, and more welcoming. Humanity has the potential to create the peaceful society we dream of, the one we believe God wants for us. In the Lord's Prayer, we say, 'Thy will be done, on Earth as it is in heaven.' Yet we too often argue among ourselves about what that 'will' entails. This happens most when we live in fear. We succumb to the human tendency to cling to judgments and black-and-white thinking, falling back on dismissive excuses like, 'That's just the way I was raised.'

In John 13:34, Jesus says, 'A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.' How different would the world be if we lived that every day? What if that command became the primary tenet in our homes, our communities, our jobs, and our government? Notice that Jesus does not qualify or limit his statement. He does not say, 'Love one another except when you disagree,' or 'except when it's hard,' or 'except when love makes you uncomfortable,' or 'except with regard to foreigners.'

While we all have the power to help, despair tempts us to believe we cannot make a difference. Fear corrupts our thinking and makes us forget that we matter.

However, peer-reviewed research proves that the 'ripple effect' is real. An act of loving-kindness creates a cascade of cooperation that reaches far beyond the first recipient, spreading even to those who weren't present for the original act. This positive effect extends even to bystanders, who become 'morally elevated' and motivated to act simply by witnessing kindness in motion.

Remember, then, that you are powerful. Your kindness makes a difference. Love matters. In "Reach Out and Touch," Diana Ross sings, "Reach out and touch / somebody's hand / make this world a better place / if you can." Remember: you really can.