Article

Too busy to change the world?

I am a big fan of ‘to do’ lists. There are few things more satisfying in life than creating a neatly formatted excel spreadsheet of things I need to do and then being able to tick them off.

Sometimes though when my lovely lists get too long, I become paralysed. Not knowing where to start so starting nowhere. Instead I tweet about how much I’ve got to do and then take a nap.

Maybe that is just me, but I’m sure you’ll agree that sometimes life can get busy. We’re always making plans, we’ve always got things to do, places to go and people to see, trying to squeeze one more meeting into an already jammed schedule.

Between school, the job and the family, between Facebook, the Xbox and BBC Iplayer, there just isn’t time to make a difference in the world. And sure, I would love to see poverty eradicated, I would love to see justice prevail and freedom for the oppressed. But if I’m honest, sometimes I’m just too busy to change the world.

Prayer is often the first thing that gets cancelled when the diary is too full, but taking time out of the busyness to pray is the best and most simple way you can change the world. And in the place of prayer, God will show you practically how you can make a difference.

Because here’s the thing. We are never going to change the world. We can’t. Not on our own at least. It is God and his power that changes lives, that restores peace and brings hope. We have the incredible privilege of partnering with the author of creation to bring his Kingdom on Earth as it is in heaven.

But that means we should never become too busy to let God change us, so that we can be the change we want to see.

Even things that are good can get in the way when our priorities are wrong. I have worked for the church for a little while and it is so easy to become busy “doing things” for God, that we never actually spend time with God. Working for Him but not with Him.

Let’s not become too busy to change the world. Let’s definitely not become too busy to let God change us. Because when the love of God lives in you, when the power of His Spirit is on you, your life will change and the world around you will too. Get caught up with God’s business, not life’s busyness.