I think that doing everything we can possibly do is a trap we fall into all the time (well, at least I do.)

Living in community has taught me a valuable lesson, when someone says their goal is “to change the world,” run.

That’s not to say that I don’t think we are called to change the world–my friends change the world each and every day. It’s rather to say when our goal is to change the world, it’s about us, not God.

Rather, I would say that we are to do no more and no less than that which God has called us to. It’s less about doing all we can and more about doing what God’s shown us. Unfortunately, we often seek to maximize our outcomes, instead of resting in the fact that God’s way is the best way.

For example: A young woman once told me that she felt called to help with HIV/AIDS in Africa, so she was trying to get a job at the UN. My question to her, after affirming her calling to help with AIDS in Africa, was, “Are you going to the UN because you think it’s the best way to stop HIV/AIDS in Africa or because that’s where God told you to go?” The point is that, in the strange upside-down Kingdom that is God’s, we are often called to do things that don’t seem to be the most effective (Joshua 5:13 – 6:27) and trust that God knows what’s best. Perhaps God’s plan for this young woman is to live the rest of her life with one family in a remote village.

There are a myriad of ways that God could use this to manifest the promises of her call–perhaps she providentially discovers a widely available herb that is highly effective in the treatment of HIV/AIDS, perhaps she inspires the village to do something that transforms the entire continent, or perhaps God’s plan is just for her to love this family well.

My point is that I don’t think it’s about us doing what we think is best or us maximizing the work of our hands, it’s allowing God to use us as He sees fit.

More later.

I have thought a lot about what is the role of Christians in a democratic government, which was recently sparked even more by a discussion surrounding Rick Warren’s forum on shadowsandsymbols.org. After a lot of discussion, I was finally able to express the bottom line for me in one of my comments there, which relates to your comments above:

“I don’t believe lasting societal change happens through governmental politics or institutions. It happens through grassroots love and caring, which is where I believe is the most effective place for Christians to be engaged.”

You hit the nail on the head in your post: we have by and large abdicated our responsibility towards grassroots Christian love, by delegating to the government, and not only the government, but also to Christian institutions. It’s far easier to write that monthly check my local church or other ministry than it is to actually love my neighbor by bringing them a meal when they’re sick, or watching their kids, or whatever.

Not saying we shouldn’t give financially, of course, any more than saying we shouldn’t be actively engaged in our government, which is a privilege of democratic society. Only that, as you said, we shouldn’t substitute those things for actually loving our neighbor. Christ never told us we could delegate that duty to others, did he?

I too have been thinking about writing blog entry on this subject, drawing together thoughts from blog, email and meatspace discussions I’ve been having on this subject (see wikipedia if don’t know what meatspace is).

Thanks for sharing and for giving more food for thought.