You're not gonna change the world

Not everyone needs to read this, but you know who you are if you do. 

• You think about the state of the world, often.  It bears down hard on your mind, heart and soul.
• You cry out to God, to politicians, to your organization, to the court room of your mind for justice and equity, and change and peace. 
  
• You often feel that "If only we could get this initiative up and running" or "If we just redesigned this process or system, we could upset the order of things and make a real difference".
• You regularly ask "Why?" and "Why not?".
  

You want to change the WORLD. But you can't.  Hear me out. 

A world changing perspective can sometimes...

• ...place too much emphasis on you and your vision.
• ...remove you from the truth (and trust) that only God is sovereign to change the world.  Only He can bring his Kingdom to earth.  
• ...cause a lot of grief in your own soul (anxiousness, driven-ness) because you believe the change depends on you.
• ...can cause you to motivate by shame and guilt when people don't 'get with the program'.
  
• ...turn you into an activist who makes claims on God, and for God that He doesn't subscribe to in order to advance your vision.  (God far too often ends up with a bad rap in the world, and it's not His fault. Tragically in the over-zealous effort to advance the Kingdom of God we can turn the world away from ever wanting what we put out there on offer)
  

Global and societal change rarely comes through any single individual or organizations' efforts. I can barely change my own eating habits, let alone my organization. How will my idea ever change the world?  Answer:  It won't and I can't.  The sooner I get to that conclusion and rest in another reality, the greater my impact can actually be.  

 

Ironically we will have more impact on the world when we let go of our sense of importance and power to change it and grab hold of this truth:

The Creator God is the only One with the power to transform this world into His Kingdom 

Unless we believe that God is actively at work in individuals and groups to do what He has set out to do, we will forever be wrapped up in our angst over what to do and how to do it.  What often happens is we (especially us dreamers), often miss the forest for the trees.  Our superpower may be as "Tomorrow-Man/Woman", but we miss the opportunity to live and act in today, to act locally, and to trust that the 'daily bread' Jesus taught us to ask for, is in the end all we really need.

So, take whatever He gives you in this day and embrace it: the person you meet, the opportunity you have, the thoughts and prayers that come across your mind.  Those acts are enough to change the world. 

God's wonderful Kingdom is happening. He is making it come into being, not you.  So each day be content and happy to take what He gives you and simply play your part.  

The world will change.