So You Wanna Change the World...

Deep within my very soul I have always had this incredible yearning to change the world.  Well, I say always, but I am not really sure when this desire awakened within me.  I cannot remember a time when I haven't wanted to be a part of making the world a better place.  Does that sound corny?  Maybe, but I don't know how else to explain it.  I just want to leave the world, and every part of it, better than when I first got there.

I guess that is really our calling as believers of Christ, right?  As we share our faith with others, it is our hope that they will understand what Christ has done for them and join us on the journey.  I am certain that God has placed this desire within me.  I guess the problem is that I don't really think I have been all that successful in this endeavor.

Every time I read my Bible and come across stories like Noah, or Abraham, even the unwilling Jonah, and see how God used them to change the world I can't help but want to be a part of that.   However, every morning when my alarm clock goes off, I muddle through my day and drop back into bed several hours later, not really having done anything significant let alone life changing.

I am not saying that I have never lead anyone into an eternal, life changing relationship with Christ, but it has been a long time since I have had that privilege.  The problem is just that, I can't remember the last time I felt like I was making a difference. 

A few years ago, Natalie Grant released a song entitled, "What Are You Waiting For?"  The chorus is:
                    
                     "So you wanna change the world
                       What are you waiting for
                       You say you're gonna start right now
                       What are you waiting for
                       It only takes one voice
                       So come on now and shout it out
                       Give a little more
                       What are you waiting for"

Every time I hear this song I can't help but puzzle through this dilemma again.  You see, I WANT to change the world, I just can't seem to figure out how and therefore, I don't know what I am waiting for.  I have prayed about it and asked God what it is that he wants me to be doing, but I just can't seem to pinpoint an answer.

Certainly I have had seasons where I can look back and see that I was a part of God's grander plan, but as I stand in church Sunday after Sunday, I can't help but feel stuck.  There have been times when  it feels like I am walking around in a fog.  I spend my days cleaning up toothpaste from sinks, spills from the table, mud from the floors, and none of this seems very life changing.  Occasionally the fog lifts and I am able to see that I am making a difference in small ways with my family.

But, can I be honest?  It just doesn't seem like enough.  There are people walking through life lonely and broken.  There are children who have no one to love them.  There are broken people everywhere and I wish I could figure out how I can be a part of changing their world.

Usually, this is the point in my post where I share some "Ah-ha" moment and wrap things up.  The problem is, I haven't yet had that moment of insight.  I guess all I can leave you with is the challenge that we all have the same calling to change the world, to go out and share Christ, and maybe it is only in looking back that we can see we actually have?  So...you wanna change the world?  What are you waiting for?

Questions?  Comments?  I always love to hear them!
~Marla