part of a movement

it's late... or should i say - early... it's 12.22 a.m. and outside there's a good-sized thunderstorm moving through the area. suzie is away for the night, attending a women's retreat for the church we attend here. and, for some unknown reason, i'm thinking about being a member of a movement.

one of the things that struck me earlier this year while in south africa for operation mobilization's international leaders' meeting was the way om was referred to by several of the main leaders. they didn't refer to om as an organization, as i have a tendency to; they referred to it as a movement. so i'm thinking about, "why movement?" is there more to it than just choosing a different word in an effort to be hip or unique or clever? the more i think about it, the more i think, "yep, there's definitely more to it." and the more i think about it, the more i like it.

so, why movement? the first thing that sprung to my mind was that it was a holdover reference from the early days of om in the '60s... seems to me it was more popular to call things "movements" back then. but then, being the odd guy i am, i decided to check out the definitions of the word. there are two that stand out to me, and i'll add a third of my own.

the first one that applies is one of the two most obvious: "an organized effort to accomplish a purpose," or, "an organized effort by supporters of a common goal." sure, that fits, right? operation mobilization exists - when all is said and done - to know God and to make Him known. and it is an organization made up of people dedicated to that purpose.

another definition: a movement is, in music, "a self-contained division of a long work." yeah, i like this. this definition fits om as well. om is a self-contained division... of what?... of a long work. what's the work? well, look at one paragraph above. operation mobilization isn't alone in its purpose - there are many other people and organizations that are working toward the same goals. so, in that respect om is just one division of this long work. ah, but more than that, what is this long work?

now i'll mention my addition to the list: operation mobilization is a movement of God. this popped into my head pretty quickly, but i had to think about it for a minute. to say that a particular thing is a movement of God can sound quite a bit pompous, i think. but, there is no denying that this is the truth. God has used om, God still uses om. om is by no means perfect or comprised of perfect individuals... but - mystery of mysteries - He chooses to work through it... or maybe better said: He allows us to be a part of His work through it. and there it is: om is a section of God's long work.

now, maybe this all doesn't matter to you. thinking through this inspires me a bit, though. there's the acknowledgement that om is part of God's work - and that's a powerful thing. and yet at the same time, lest we feel like we can get big-headed about this, om is just a part. and it is a long work.

so... here's to more organized effort.