Samantha Lacey of World Race Gap Year is learning that being a missionary doesn’t make her more important, fix her personal struggles, and, most importantly, that it is not her job to change the world.
Sometimes posts on social media make me cringe. A lot of these posts are from well-meaning people, usually embarking on missions trips or something equally “do-gooderish”. They usually feature people off to do good in the world, often accompanied with warm, fuzzy captions like “Off to change the world!” or “So excited for this world-changer!”.
I hate these posts.
Don’t get me wrong; missions and humanitarian trips can be beneficial. We all know people in this world need love. But I loathe the term “world-changer”.
Because we can’t change the world. And it’s foolish and even dangerous to think we can.
People around the world do not need us to change or save them. In order to change the world, people need to change. And you cannot change people, you can only love them and watch the Lord work.
I think we often feel like doing missions will change us, that we will magically become bolder or happier or we will struggle less with things once we’re on the field. The World Race will not change me. Adventures as an organization will not change me. The truth is, things I struggled with at home followed me overseas.
The only thing, the only one who can change me is Jesus Christ.
In my head it’s kind of like this: you know those ropes from gym class? The ones you had to climb up and ding the bell? It’s like we’re all trying to climb up the rope with our sinful selves at the bottom and the best versions of ourselves at the top. Believing leaving home will eradicate our struggles, that going abroad will somehow magically lift us to the bell at the top of the rope, is foolish. We are still trying to pull ourselves, hand over hand, up the rope, just in a different place than we’re used to. The rope goes with us wherever we go. The problem is that every time we progress up the rope, the evil lurking near the bottom grabs at us and tries to drag us back down – or to make us let go of the rope altogether.
As we continue to climb higher on the rope with one hand, envy grabs an ankle. We pull ourselves up and comparison latches on. We grab higher with the other hand and self-worth locks its arms around our waists.
Every single one of us is on a rope. Granted, we’re all at different points on the rope, but we’re all on it nonetheless. So who are we to think that we can pull others up their ropes while we’re still working on our own? We can’t. We can call encouragements to our fellow climbers, we can help them on on their journey, but we ourselves can’t change where they are.
Jesus sees us all on our ropes. When the things dragging us down threaten to break our holds, He takes our burdens. He invites us to hang on Him instead. We need only ask. He can change our positions on the rope. He can pull us up through hard or sticky spots.
Only Jesus can change the world.
He invites us to be his hands and his feet. He welcomes us along on this adventure, to see him lift the other climbers, reminding us it’s possible for us too. But he does not need us. So while missions is a beautiful thing, we need to remember we are not the ones changing the world. Jesus is. We cannot save people; we can only love them.
We need to be careful where “our” glory goes.
Are you wanting to see Christ change the world in amazing ways? Learn how you can partner with him on the World Race? Watch him change the world – and use you while doing so!
