Discover
There is a wrong you were born to make right, and I guess there is something deep within you that has always known this to be true. It’s the passionate flicker of anger that flashes when you see someone suffering, and it’s the knot that forms in your chest when you encounter injustice in the world. It’s the silent frustration you feel in the monotony of life and the dissatisfaction lying deep in your soul with your routine existence.
You KNOW that there is a wrong you were born to make right, and you have no idea what to do about it. You want to know the injustice you are called to combat. You deeply yearn to understand how God has uniquely equipped you to change the world. And you are ready and hungry to discover how you can make an impact in the world.
There is a wrong you were born to make right.
However, sometimes we can become so consumed with discovering our passion that we never actually do anything about the injustice invading our world.
We wait. We wait for a prompting, whisper, sign, or message to appear. We wait for a magical moment when the ambient band begins to play, the fog appears, and a deep voice proclaims how you were born to change the world. Or, maybe, we’re just waiting because it’s easier to use our lack of clarity as an excuse rather than taking action.
There is a wrong you were born to make right. And what if God has already given you everything you need to right those wrongs in the world, live out your passions, fight for justice, and create lasting change? What if he is on the edge of his seat, watching to see what you will do with everything he’s given you? Meanwhile, you’re sitting back, waiting on some magical moment that will never happen.
Start
There is a wrong you were born to make right. And if that’s the case, you owe it to our world to do something about it.
Every week I meet with young people who ask me the same question, “How do I discover my passion?” They look at me expectantly because I run an organization that empowers young leaders to discover their passions. They expect me to give them a four-step process, a fancy diagram, or a detailed action plan. But I don’t—because that’s not what they need. They need to do something.
The four-step process, strategies, and structures are still important, and they do come later. But that’s not where we start.
I believe God will not reveal our passions to us as we sit on our couches staring at the TV screen, we need to get up, turn the phone off, and do something. We won’t discover our passions as we sit in our own little world, scroll mindlessly through social media, or complain about a lack of clarity and direction. It is far more likely God will reveal your passion to you when your hands are dirty, your hair is messy, your body is tired, and your eyes are sparkling.
God will reveal your passion to you when your hands are dirty, your hair is messy, your body is tired, and your eyes are sparkling.
When you’re in the center of the fight, amid real injustice, and in the mess of genuine relationships, God will tap you on the shoulder and say, “That was it!” What you just saw, heard, and experienced, THAT was the wrong you were born to make right. It will be in the midst of doing something that you will discover your passion.
It’s time to do something.
- Get involved in the human trafficking crisis.
- Run a race to raise money for a cause.
- Spend time investing in the beautiful people at a nursing home in your city.
- Mentor an at-risk student in your community.
- Make a meal for a family living under the poverty line in your town.
- Show up at the same street corner every weekend to form a relationship with the homeless family in your community.
- Volunteer to invest in individuals with special needs.
- Show up consistently for a refugee family in your town.
- Share truth with the middle schooler who is about to give up hope.
- Sell your stuff and build a well in a third-world country.
- Open your home to a high schooler who lives in a toxic environment.
- Start a company to provide jobs for the homeless in your area.
- Visit individuals who find themselves in prison.
- Advocate for the rights of enslaved people around the world.
- Talk to your government about laws that need to change.
- Choose to walk across the divide and learn from someone different than you.
- Intentionally love a child in the foster care system.
- Raise money and start a school for girls with no access to education.
- Start an after-school program for teenagers living in the inner city.
There is so much exciting and beautiful work to be done, and God is inviting us to be a part of what he is doing. So don’t miss it.
Act
There is a wrong you were born to make right. There is a passion God has placed inside of you. You have everything you need to take action.
If you want to go on a journey to craft that passion, take ownership of your life, and say yes to creating impact in the world, then let’s do it together.
Take ownership of your life, and say yes to creating impact in the world.
Don’t wait. Start now and take the first step because there is too much at stake. What hangs in the balance? The innocence of young girls who are victims of sex trafficking. The safety of children thrown into a broken foster care system. The existence of orphans starving alone in third-world countries. The dignity of individuals told that they are less because of the color of their skin. The safety of families fleeing the crisis in their countries and searching for a place to call home. The lives of teenagers drowning in depression and suicide attempts. The redemption of families caught in a cycle of addiction. The future of girls who will never have access to education because of their gender. The health of a baby born in a country with no access to clean water. The eternities of real people hang in the balance.
This isn’t an if-you-want-to, if-you-have-time-for-it, or extracurricular-activity kind of thing. This is a sacrifice-of-yourself kind of thing. Risk everything you have. Give from the deepest parts of your soul. Fight with unwavering tenacity. And leave no part of yourself in the safety of comfort.
Refuse to back down, quit, or retreat. Stay on the front lines of this fight. There is a wrong you were born to make right. So go out and make it right. The most incredible adventure of your life can begin today.
