Unconventional Advocacy
Have you ever
struggled with feeling insignificant?
Like the work you do isn’t important?
Ever become depressed thinking about all of the horrible things
happening in our country and around the world?
Maybe you have a job that you really enjoy but feel guilty sometimes
because you’re not saving literal lives or solving world crises. Or you have a job that you don’t love all of
the time and there are causes that are really important to you but you need to
you know, pay bills and put food on your table, so you can’t just up and
quit. I believe it’s a tactic of the
enemy to make us compare our callings and become paralyzed from feeling unimportant. Either we feel like what we’re doing really
doesn’t matter or we get overwhelmed by the vast number of issues in the world
that we could champion. We should
absolutely make ourselves aware of things going on in our community and around
the world. We cannot just bury our heads
in the sand because learning about the plight of orphans or people living in
slavery or the refugee crisis in the Middle East is hard and sad. But the truth is that whether we’re talking
about racialization in the United States, human trafficking both here and
abroad, or students from wealthy families who struggle with depression and
anxiety because their identity is so wrapped up in material possessions and
accomplishments, it all breaks God’s heart.
Whether you’re a
stay at home mom with tiny children clinging to you at all hours of the day, or
working a corporate job to support your family, you can do something. Maybe hopping on a plane to serve in Uganda
isn’t feasible right now in this season of your life. But you can educate yourself on issues going
on here in our area and around the world and organizations that are helping to
resolve these issues. You can raise
awareness by bringing these issues and organizations into conversation at play
groups or while going out to lunch with coworkers. My younger sister is a teacher, with all of
the limited time and resources that go with that career. But she uses her skills and interest in
graphic design to serve a local crisis pregnancy center by making images they
can use in their campaigns. Advocacy and
activism doesn’t always look like going abroad or giving money, though both of
those things are great and if you can, partner in that way too.
To be honest, I
have struggled at times feeling like what I’m doing isn’t really making that
much of an impact in the grand scheme of all that is wrong in our world
today. But that’s such a lie from the
enemy! God has uniquely gifted me, given
me specific interests and passions, and orchestrated my life in such a way to
minister to students in Loudoun County and those around me. I get to encourage them to grow in their
relationship with Christ and challenge them to see the world around them
differently because I was once in their shoes.
And that’s something. Last
Thursday afternoon I was hanging out with the huddle at Farmwell Station Middle
School as 8th grader Lizzie led a devotion on the Parable of the
Sower from Matthew 13. She led a
beautiful discussion with the students, most of whom are 6th
graders. They talked about what kind of
soil they are experiencing in their lives right now, and many admitted to being
among the thorns. They want to believe
the Bible and who God says He is, but they get overwhelmed with stress from
school and expectations placed on them, either by teachers, parents, or
themselves. They encouraged each other
to pray, talk to their parents or youth leaders about their doubts, and
surround themselves with positive friends who will influence them to make good
choices and be “fertilizer” for the Word of God that is planted in their
hearts. Seriously. I’m not exaggerating anything. This was the conversation these 11 – 13 year
olds were having after school. How did I
get so lucky as to be a part of this?!
No, I’m not
solving world hunger, but maybe one of the students I get to encourage on a
weekly basis will grow up to do just that!
And maybe you and your spouse have not personally felt God’s call to
adopt, because I do believe that adoption is a calling. But you can support and encourage friends who
might be in the middle of that process.
And maybe, by discipling your biological children every day and teaching
them to love and obey Jesus, you will someday be an adoptive grandparent! The truth is that if we have a relationship
with Jesus, we are called to serve and obey Him. But that is going to look a million different
ways in a million people’s lives. If we
are willing to hold our God-given gifts, talents, and resources with an open
hand, we can trust that He will direct us in how we can use them to bring Him
glory. And that does change the world
around us.
Comments
Post a Comment