Actually Change the World

I am committed to actually changing the world.  

What do I mean by actually changing the world?  Do I mean as opposed to pretending to change the world, or trying and failing to change the world, or just saying that I’m changing the world?  

What I mean is that our generation is coming into our own -- having 10- and 15-year high school reunions, having children, starting careers -- and it is time we look at ourselves and ask, “What am I doing and what will I do to actually change the world?”

Because it isn’t changing as rapidly as one would expect, despite all the criticism “the world” has received.  

And we are the best culture critics, with our blogs and Facebook statuses ready and poised to link to the newest article about something our culture needs to change. 

And that’s a start.  The links and the blogs and the idea-swapping are all part of our generation’s attempt to change the world in a new way.  

But there has to be more.  If we are going to do something real, something other than complain and say something needs to change, then we have to make choices that separate us from other generations.  And those of use who are Christians have to live lifestyles that are radically different from those around us -- and not just morally. 

This culture isn’t working for us.  It doesn’t work for women, it doesn’t work for the environment, and it won’t work for future generations.  As Americans, we are wasteful and drowning in a slough of bad habits -- bad habits that will do more than give us diabetes and heart disease and make us obese.  Not only will the habits we are all caught in help us to destroy ourselves quicker, they will lead to the destruction of our planet and, for those of us who care, will delay the fulfillment of the Great Commission.  

As a human, the destruction of our planet is serious business.  As a Christian, the delay of the fulfillment of the Great Commission is even more serious.  

I believe that women are not only equal to men, but that we are just as powerful when it comes to our ability to change the world.  But we are keeping ourselves down.  How?  That I will reveal in a later post.  

For now, I am asking you to think: What does your life need to look like if you are going to actually change the world?  Maybe you aren’t an environmentalist or aren’t into liveable cities and sustainable transportation, which are some of the things I care about -- maybe you see other issues that continue to plague you and you feel like your lifetime will not quite be satisfactory if it ends without some progress being made on these issues.  No issue is too big or too small.  You were born to make a difference, and if you think otherwise, then you are not understanding your role as a human being, let alone as a Christian.  That’s OK.  Keep reading and you will see that you can and should actually change the world.