“And what am I to do?
Just tell me what am I supposed to say?
I can’t change the world
But I can change the world in me
Rejoice.
Rejoice.”
“Rejoice” from the album “October”
The boys from U2 have it just right in one way and completely wrong in another. Changing the world most definitely starts with changing the world inside of us. "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh." (Ezekiel 36:26) And we were created, by the way, to change the world. We have been charged with playing a particular role in doing just that… by advancing God’s Kingdom here on earth.
In the trailer for the new major motion picture, “Son of God,” Jesus makes a very compelling offering to Peter.
Jesus: Come with Me.
Peter: What are going to do?
Jesus: Change the world.
There it is. The offer. Life.
It is the opportunity to not just exist, but to have a life worth living. To be a change agent for the lives of others. It is what lies at the end of the rainbow. It is what we were created for. It is our mantle and heritage. It is the secret and sometimes desperate heart cry of all mankind. It is the world’s one great hope. But rather than requiting that deep desire, we seek to anesthetize it with all manner of ridiculousness. We are consumed with less-wild lovers when the one great Lover of our Souls, and His great mission here on earth, await.
As leaders of others in our workplace, ministries, and families, shouldn’t the mandate be the same? Should we simply be teaching truth or should we be bringing life? Jesus seemed to harbor a certain disdain (read that as “hatred”) for those that were simply keepers of the law. He seemed to have little patience with folks who were well versed in knowledge, regarded themselves superior because of it, but saw very little translation into the life lived.
Donald Miller talks about the life intended this way: “If we want a feeling of meaning in life, I don’t think we have a choice but to live a good story — that is, to propel ourselves into some noble adventure, enduring difficult conflict for a cause greater than ourselves so we can see a tension resolve for the betterment of the people around us, for our families and our friends and for strangers less fortunate, thus setting a moral compass for everybody watching our stories, giving them the inspiration to lead a better life themselves.”
Seems to be a fairly simple recipe:
- Find a better story (the one He created you to live)
- Equip, empower, encourage, support, and challenge others to find the same
If we are doing nothing else as leaders, we should at least be doing that.
- Are you clear on why you exist?
- Are you changing at least some small portion of the world?
- Are you inspiring others to do the same?