We are coworkers with God, and you are God’s cultivated garden, the house he is building. 1 Corinthians 3:9 (TPT)
Showing Up – The Making A Difference Series – Part 1
Go to PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 | PART 4 | PART 5
When asked what I want to do with my life, often the words, “I just want to make a difference” flow out of my mouth. I think most of us have this desire. Growing up during the rise of Pentecostalism here in Australia, we often talked about being “world changers, making a difference for the Kingdom.” There was a sense that when surrendered to God and his purposes for our lives, we could “change the world.”
A rather lofty goal.
I still want to make a difference in the world around me, but I’ve dropped the idea of being a “world changer.”
Let’s be real. Few of us will ever have world-wide influence. And out of those who, there are only a handful of people in the whole of history who have literally “changed the world.” As in, all of it, everyone, in its/their entirety. And to be honest, it's too much pressure. But to recite the old cliché, we can absolutely change the world that we live in. We can impact those around us and already do, for both better and worse.
When my days here are up, I want to be able to say that I made a difference in the lives of those around me. Most of all, my friends and family. Most of all, my kids. I want to leave a mark in humanity. Like a new print hanging on its wall speaking life to all who read it or a new tree planted in its garden.
Making a difference is a “slow-burn” longevity thing. It rarely happens overnight, even when it seems to (there is a back story to EVERYTHING).
It's something that happens as we live in community with others. It’s also a decision we make. We can live our lives “blasé faire,” or even just unaware of how our lives impact others, and vice versa. Or we can choose to live awake, aware and alive to the interconnectedness between us all, and engage in it. Take our place as co-workers with The Divine, (We are coworkers with God, and you are God’s cultivated garden, the house he is building. 1 Cor 3:9 TPT) alongside each other.
That means we get our hands dirty, throw our backs into it, and at the end of the day, we sit back, share meals, laugh, and commune, then fall into sleep, ready for another day. And yep, there are many seasons in between and around this “co-worker” thing. But the point is to keep showing up, day after day, in whatever capacity the season of life we’re in allow us.
Is there anything more difficult?
Showing up day after day, week after week, sometimes for years, in good times and in bad?
It turns out that showing up is the hardest part of making a difference. And the only way it actually works.
Do you think Shakespeare knew the difference he would make?
Do you think Paul dreamt about you and I reading his letters thousand of years after his death?
Do you think Mother Teresa was hoping we would make artworks out of her quotes?
Making a difference is the work of a lifetime, not just a throwaway line at a youth rally or a something to do on the weekend. Or something that will make us money and propel us to fame and the history books. It's got to be more than that.
It's not easy, but I think you're up for it. Because, like me, you realize it's what matters.
Go to Part 2 – Start Living »
Written by Lizzy Milani
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