Millennials want to change the world. There is no doubt about that. We see evidence of it everywhere. From Facebook campaigns and Kickstarter projects to blogs and Youtube videos. We see the evidence of both the desire to change and people actually making a difference in our world. It’s exciting and inspiring.
But these stories we hear so much about encapsulate only a tiny percentage of America’s young adults. There are so many more who can and want to change the world. However, it is extremely difficult to know how to take that first step, even when you’re bursting with passion to do something. Changing the world is a huge task and one that cannot be done singlehandedly. It’s hard to know where to start. We need help in figuring out God’s call in our lives.
That is how Extreme’s mobilization coordinators serve those we come in contact with. We are more than just recruiters. Mobis are constantly in prayer, asking God to send us to the right place at the right time. We speak about the work God is doing in South America and meet with young adults who are feeling a tug from God. We talk, we listen, we answer questions, we attempt to help these millennials take that first step.
So why is it so hard?
There are many excuses: not wanting to leave family, a desire to go to school, friends and family who don’t support the decision, the money that has to be raised. And of course there’s the question, “Is God really calling me to go overseas?”
So many of us get stuck trying to figure out God’s will for our lives. Sometimes we pray and we pray and we pray, but we never act. We have this passion and desire to change the world, and we worry so much about messing up God’s will that we end up doing nothing. Is that God’s will for our lives? To do nothing?
God actually makes his will known to all of us in Matthew 28:18-20 (NLT):
18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
If we are making disciples, can that be outside of God’s will? Whether it’s discipleship with an elderly man across the street or a young woman in Ecuador, that is what God has called us to. It seems that God would be exceedingly pleased to see any of His children go to incredible lengths to share the Good News with people who need to hear about Jesus.
Let’s stop stressing and worrying about what we should be doing. Say yes to making disciples and start acting, wherever you are. If you feel a tug, if you feel that passion begin to burn inside you, don’t quench it. Say yes, and go!
carrie the traveler 