Is My Life Making a Difference?

 

Is my life making a difference? 6 min read by Megan Rea

My friend Jen busts out Christmas movies in October.  She’s a renegade like that.

It took me a while to recognize her genius, but once I realized there was no way to fit in all the heart-warming-gushy-hot-chocolatey-feelings that are Christmas movies into a mere 25 days, I bowed to her obvious brilliance and started sneaking one in every now and then. But not until at least November 1st…Jen!

Among the favorites is ALWAYS, “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Jimmy Stewart, Donna Reed and the wealth of behind the scenes knowledge of how it was originally deemed as a flop, just wins my heart.  I can be multi-tasking and background pseudo-watching, but once the “Buffalo girl won’t cha come out tonight” scene graces my TV, I’m reeled in hook, line, and sinker.

What is it about that movie that has stood the test of time?

It’s the fact that it asks the universal question that haunts us all: “Is my life making a difference?”

‘World changer’ can mean so many different things. But each of us was designed to make an impact. We know it. We can feel it in our bones. Sure, we can numb the gnawing feeling with busyness and fear and insecurity and Netflix.  But in our heart of hearts, we know we were designed for a life of “more.”

The problem is sometimes our definition of “more” gets twisted. I know mine does.

Our ambitions for what we WANT to be doing blind us from the tremendous work we’re ACTUALLY doing and it makes our life feel small.

It’s easy to doubt the difference you make because it’s rarely never made all at once, rather by consistently taking daily steps.

And the pull to “more” feels like a certain destination on our life map.

We think a life that makes a difference should be big and splashy.

We think it will feel constantly fulfilling and once we arrive at “this place,” we’ll cease to wrestle with our inner turmoil because finally, we’ll feel enough.

One problem: that would mean measuring our worth based on performance.  So what’s the actual solution?

In 2017, Chris and I walked through a tremendously hard season. (He talked about it here & here.)

Life became chaotic, unpredictable, scary. I didn’t know my up from my down. As someone who feels called to invest deeply into the lives of others, barely keeping my own head above water was soul-shaking.  In the midst of this, me & Jesus had lots of conversations. Midnight talks, early morning talks, crying in the shower talks. You know the kind, I know you do.

I was crying out for my family, but I also had this gnawing question in my spirit, “God, what does it look like to steward this ministry in the middle of such chaos and crisis?”

Two words friend.

That’s what I got.

Two. Words. It’s apparently all He knew I needed.

And here they are:

“Everyday Faithfulness.”

Everyday Faithfulness. That’s what it’s all about. Then you combine that with knowing who you are in Christ, like really really knowing it in your bones and you live from that place in “everyday faithfulness,” friend your life can’t not make a difference. You’ll be unstoppable. You’ll be authentically you, becoming more like Jesus.

It’s really never been about “our” impact & “our” ability to change the world anyway.

It’s not our names we need to make great.

It’s the name of someone greater.

Our life isn’t not small because we strive to make our own name great. Our lives aren’t small when they’re found in the name greater than any of our own.

Currently, in culture, there’s a lot of “Boss Girl” lingo floating around. And I get it. It’s cool and trendy and we’re seeing people do amazing things and champion causes and I am always here for that.  But, we have to be careful we don’t inadvertently set ourselves up to be the hero of our own story.

When that’s your expectation, you will never be or feel enough.

But when Jesus is the hero of your story, you are free. Completely liberated to walk and run in radical, life-giving obedience and make a difference in this day with absolutely nothing to prove.

You don’t have to be bigger or make your life feel enough.  You simply get to practice “Everyday Faithfulness,” and watch and see what He does.

Our legacy shouldn’t be that we made our name great, it should be that we made His name known.

A few months back, massive wildfires ravaged and changed the landscape of California.  They no doubt made an impact on that state.

And you know how that wildfire started? A spark

One. Little. Spark.

It grew into a flame and virtually became unstoppable, but it started as a spark.

If our lives are like those sparks, what would happen if we believed God’s word over our lives and practiced Everyday Faithfulness?

And at the risk of sounding like a Tony Robbins speech,

Be the spark friend.

Because you are.

Be the spark.

And because I would never dare motivate you without something practical to take action on, here you go.  If you’re struggling with knowing where or how to begin being faithful, start here:

 

1. How has God wired you? What are you naturally good at?

What makes you unique? Even a little weird? (Check out this post!) I guarantee that weirdness isn’t just for you to keep to yourself. (Unless of course, you have a fascination with Comic-Con socks and then you keep that weirdness all to yourself, thank you;)) Need help discovering how God wired you?  Read this. We’ve got all kinds of help with that question.

 

2. Be brave and obedient

The good news is you don’t’ have to have it all figured out to take the next step of obedience and you don’t have to feel brave to be brave.  If God’s stirring your heart towards something, do what my friend Annie Downs says, “Trust the spark friend. Trust the spark.”

 

3. Fix your eyes and ears on truth

When you determine to make a difference, to be the spark and practice everyday faithfulness, you will have ample opportunity to doubt yourself. Preacher-Choir.

Don’t be surprised when it happens just know how to combat it with 2 simple tools: Worship & the Word.

Fill your mind and your mouth with the truth. Speak it when it feels contrary to all your feels, listen to it when you want to quit. You’re an overcomer and this is how you overcome.

 

4. Work from Security & not Striving

You can work hard from a place of knowing who you are and not striving to prove who you think you should be.  Working from security means you can work without striving and rest without guilt because you know you’re not the one holding it all together.

Side note: someone please remind me of my own words on Monday afternoons. Ahem.

Your life can’t NOT make a difference if you will simply be the spark and practice everyday faithfulness. Your life isn’t small because you make it big. Your life isn’t’ small because it’s found in the greatness of one much bigger.

What’s stirring in your heart friend, what does “everyday faithfulness” look like for you today?

 

Until next time,

Meg

 

 

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