If there’s anything I know about you, it’s that you want to change the world.
You probably didn’t wake up saying, “How can I live the most mediocre life possible?”
You want to make a difference, pour your life into a cause, and leave your mark upon the world.
The problem is that most of us never do.
We talk about it.
We dream about it.
We even criticize those who are doing it. But we never put one foot in front of the other and do it.
The Glorification of the Platform
Just the other day I watched a video of a well-known worship leader, leading worship in front of thousands of people. His songs are being sung around the world.
“If only,” I thought, “I could change the world like this guy. If only I had that kind of platform.”
But there’s a problem with the large stage. We all want it, but we don’t want to pay the price to get there.
The Beatles played hundreds of shows before they were ever good enough to be recognized.
Michael Jordan shot countless free throws in his backyard before anyone knew his name.
We want the recognition that comes with a large platform but we cower from the process. We want to be the overnight, American Idol success.
If you’re waiting for that day to come, you may spend your whole life…waiting.
If You Do Anything, Do This
Instead, here’s what you need to do: Focus on one small step you can take today.
Writing an ebook was a daunting dream for me to tackle. But breaking it down into daily writing projects was doable.
Writing a course was an overwhelming idea. But writing an outline and giving myself a deadline caused me to move it over the finish line.
You’ve heard this your whole life. Set goals. Break large projects down into manageable tasks. Work hard.
But there’s a difference between hearing it and doing it.
- Some of you need to stop reading books and start launching projects.
- Some of you need to stop dreaming and start doing.
- Some of you need to stop criticizing and create something today.
Changing the world must move beyond Christian camp altar calls and revival services. Changing the world must move beyond coffee house conversations. It needs to be a part of Monday morning’s agenda.
Let’s try an experiment.
Instead of asking, “What do I want to do with my life?,” ask, “What am I doing with my life?”
Long Obedience
We need what Eugene Peterson calls, “A long obedience in the same direction.”
We need daily habits.
We need daily faithfulness.
We need to peek at the future but open our eyes wide to the moment in front of us. Live life fully awake. (Tweet this quote!)
Tomorrow may never come. Your dreams may never come true if you don’t act on them today.
We need you to release your God-given potential. The world is waiting.
Question: What lies are you believing that are keeping you from changing the world? How can you overcome them? Share your story in the comments.
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Photo Credit: Per Ola Wiberg (Flickr)
Thanks so much for this post David!
This is so true! I struggle with this issue a lot. For me, I have become very comfortable just playing well, not really seeking a course by which to stretch my guitar skills.
This post was very encouraging. Praise the Lord!
Glad to help, Drew. How do you want to improve your guitar skills? Lead or Rhythm?
Honestly, I need to work on both! I would probably work on rhythm though, only because my college worship team is well balanced with talent- vocal performance majors, piano performance majors, etc.. so leading with my guitar and vocals is not as big an issue right now.
David – good words. Especially “start” and “work hard.” The hardest thing to grasp in our microwave society is the “build slowly” mentality – whether that’s wealth, influence, or a sweet guitar collection. If your married with multiple kids, the last one takes far, far longer. I haven’t bought a new acoustic since the Clinton Administration. : (
Haha! Jon, I’m with ya. New guitars take a backseat to the family. But it’s worth it, right? (I keep telling myself this 🙂
Just a couple of thoughts. Are we changing the world when we draw ever larger crowds of Christians that believe as we do? If everyone leaves and does nothing, of what importance is the size of the crowd?
You ARE changing the world for someone if you are Christ like, and they are influenced.
Sometimes we change the world by nurturing or guiding someone. You and your son can give the world a one two punch. I wonder who influenced Billy Graham?
Good quote, “A long obedience in the same direction”. The book of 2nd John v. 6 : And this is love, that we walk in obedience to His commands.
Don, you bring up a great point. I don’t think the size of the crowd necessarily means you’re changing the world but I also don’t think we should diminish it. It’s easy to criticize those who draw large crowds because we haven’t attained it (I know I do this all the time). Most of the time the ability to draw a large crowd means you are influencing a lot of people, which is a huge responsibility.
I agree, I simply meant that is not the only indicator. I did mention Billy Graham. As always, God is the final Judge. Even though God’s word never returns void, not all who proclaim it will enter into His Kingdom. How scary is that? We must be aware of Matthew 7:21-23. What we see is not what God sees. I believe we should have a “holy” ambition for God’s work, but the above verse must be taken into account. Your points about planning and daily progress are things I tell my students. The old cliche, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time”. I am sure most of my youthful accomplishments were due to OCD, not daily planning and diligence. Good habits count a lot towards progress and accomplishments in life. Good habits are blessed by God. “We should walk in obedience to His commands.” Sometimes I think I take what you wrote and hijack it and take it somewhere else. A point to agree or disagree with is just a way to get started. What follows is probably just something in my head trying to get out. Lucky you ?!? LOL
I guess for me, it is excuses that paralyze my moving forward. Fear. I am wanting to do something more, but where I am in life, in this season makes everything so difficult. And it almost seemed selfish to be focusing on improving MY music and leading skills when I have so many other responsibilities that need my attention. But I am not a full time worship leader, just aspiring at this point. Praying for God’s clear guidance on the pacing of how, and when of pursuing my goals.
Hey Darcy, it’s never selfish to improve what you do. It will actually help you serve people better the more you invest in your improvement.