For a long time, a faint inner voice insisted my writing was insignificant, that nobody was interested, and that I should stop wasting my time. Maybe you’ve heard a similar voice. It shows up differently for each of us. Discouragement can sometimes feel like a distraction or a sign that our problems are too large for us to effect change.
The COVID-19 pandemic made that voice louder for me as a Christian, and I have to admit it wasn’t hard to see why. The things I witnessed within the church during that period were deeply disturbing. Conspiracy theories spread through networks just like prayer requests. Self-proclaimed prophets used media to make people more afraid instead of more faithful. The 2020 American election cycle showed how politics had divided Christians (no better today). The situation reached a point where many followers experienced embarrassment, and those without faith questioned the church’s legitimacy.
Christians weren’t mistaken in wanting to shape the world for good. That desire is woven into our calling. The issue was how they were going about it. All too often, their efforts weren’t rooted in God’s Word. They lacked the honesty, clarity, and spirit-given courage needed to stand firm when it mattered. When our attempts fall flat, as they sometimes will, the faithful response isn’t to retreat in defeat. Scripture consistently calls us to rise again. We must keep walking in obedience, trusting that God strengthens perseverance far more than surrender.
That’s where the Biblical concept of the Kingdom comes in. Not as a catchy phrase or a movement, but as a way of living and doing. It’s the idea that Christians are called to engage with the world, not to ignore it or give in to it. We are tasked with making an impact, bravely and with a genuine care for the individuals we seek to assist.
Stephen Covey’s Circle of Concern and the Circle of Influence model is helpful here. Most of us waste our energy worrying about things we cannot change while ignoring the difference we could make in our own lives and relationships. The enemy’s best strategy isn’t to hurt us; it is to make us give up. If he can keep us focused on problems that we can’t solve, he wins just as much as if he had stopped us.
The solution isn’t to be a hero. It is to pay attention to the immediate things that we can actually change. Using our unique gifts, our specific relationships, and our particular calling. That is not giving up; it is being wise. And this is deeply rooted in the Bible.
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For a long time, a faint inner voice insisted my writing was insignificant, that nobody was interested, and that I should stop wasting my time. Maybe you’ve heard a similar voice. It shows up differently for each of us. Discouragement can sometimes feel like a distraction or a sign that our problems are too large for us to effect change.
The COVID-19 pandemic made that voice louder for me as a Christian, and I have to admit it wasn’t hard to see why. The things I witnessed within the church during that period were deeply disturbing. Conspiracy theories spread through networks just like prayer requests. Self-proclaimed prophets used media to make people more afraid instead of more faithful. The 2020 American election cycle showed how politics had divided Christians (no better today). The situation reached a point where many followers experienced embarrassment, and those without faith questioned the church’s legitimacy.
Christians weren’t mistaken in wanting to shape the world for good. That desire is woven into our calling. The issue was how they were going about it. All too often, their efforts weren’t rooted in God’s Word. They lacked the honesty, clarity, and spirit-given courage needed to stand firm when it mattered. When our attempts fall flat, as they sometimes will, the faithful response isn’t to retreat in defeat. Scripture consistently calls us to rise again. We must keep walking in obedience, trusting that God strengthens perseverance far more than surrender.
That’s where the Biblical concept of the Kingdom comes in. Not as a catchy phrase or a movement, but as a way of living and doing. It’s the idea that Christians are called to engage with the world, not to ignore it or give in to it. We are tasked with making an impact, bravely and with a genuine care for the individuals we seek to assist.
Stephen Covey’s Circle of Concern and the Circle of Influence model is helpful here. Most of us waste our energy worrying about things we cannot change while ignoring the difference we could make in our own lives and relationships. The enemy’s best strategy isn’t to hurt us; it is to make us give up. If he can keep us focused on problems that we can’t solve, he wins just as much as if he had stopped us.
The solution isn’t to be a hero. It is to pay attention to the immediate things that we can actually change. Using our unique gifts, our specific relationships, and our particular calling. That is not giving up; it is being wise. And this is deeply rooted in the Bible.