Is it possible to really change things?
How Do We Fix Anything?
In a world full of war, politics, injustice, inequality, and beyond, how do we fix anything?
Over the years, as a pastor, I’ve heard this question asked numerous times in various ways. It usually boils down to a deep sense that we can’t really affect anything. The world’s problems are overwhelming, and they always will be.
With the advent of social media and global news at our fingertips, and every other media outlet constantly forcing headlines down our throats, it’s easy to feel helpless. How do we do anything about it?
Eventually, many people land in a place of inevitability. The world is going to hell in a handbasket, and there’s nothing we can do about it. That mentality leads us to blame others, develop a defeatist outlook, become jaded and negative, and ultimately lose sight of what is actually important.
One of the more recent conversations I had about this was with a very sharp, very driven young man in our church. He genuinely wanted to help. He wanted to make the world a better place. But he didn’t know where to start or how to make a difference.
He had recently taken on a leadership role in his neighborhood and was already discouraged by the resistance he was facing. He worked hard, applied creativity to solving problems, and kept running into wall after wall.
I’ve heard story after story like this. And over time, I’ve come to believe that generally speaking, people do want to help. They just don’t know how, and eventually they feel defeated.
So the question becomes: Why worry about other people’s problems at all, right?
While that mentality is understandable, it can lead us into some dangerous places as a society. It can also lead us somewhere very different than what Jesus talked about. Throughout both the Old and New Testaments, God’s Word repeatedly reminds us that true religion includes caring for the vulnerable, widows, orphans, and those in need.
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress…”
— James 1:27
“Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.”
— Psalm 82:3
So how do we care without becoming overwhelmed?
Over the years, I’ve developed a simple framework that has helped me tremendously. These are three questions I ask when deciding where to focus my energy.
First: Is this important to my family and me?
Second: Does this affect my immediate community?
Third: Is there anything I can actually do about it?
If the answer is no to two out of those three questions, I leave it alone.
Often, I add it to my prayer list, which is powerful, but beyond that, I let it go. Many times, that means intentionally avoiding conversations, news cycles, arguments, and debates surrounding it. This allows me to focus on what is important, immediate, and doable, while giving to God the things I cannot control.
Let me give you an example.
Currently, the U.S. military has commenced major operations in Iran. Reactions to this have been wildly different depending on political alliances, media outlets, and personal perspectives.
Is that important? Absolutely.
Does it affect my immediate community, my church, my family, my business, or my town, in a way I can directly influence? Not really.
Can I fix it? Not even close.
And honestly, I’m not even sure I would want to. Decisions like that involve layers of information, intelligence, and strategy that most of us simply don’t have access to.
So what can I do?
I add our troops and our country to my prayer list, and I move on.
That may sound harsh, but here’s the reality:
You and I only have so much influence and so much capacity.
That capacity looks different for everyone, but one thing we all share is that both our influence and our capacity are limited. If I spend all my energy worrying about things I can’t directly affect, then I’ll miss the thousands of people I can affect who are right in front of me. By serving in the church, engaging personally in the community, exerting social influence, praying, and building everyday relationships, I can focus my attention where it can actually make a difference.
And when we do that, we become far more effective.
Does this mean we don’t care about war or larger global issues?
Not at all.
Those things should affect us deeply. The loss of life is heartbreaking and tragic. And lives will be lost. That should absolutely weigh on our hearts. But we cannot allow ourselves to drown under the weight of the entire world’s problems.
God, and only God, has the capacity to carry the sins of the world on His shoulders.
We are not Him.
In fact, at its core, believing we can or need to fix everything can become somewhat egotistical.
Scripture reminds us clearly of the limits of our role:
“Be still, and know that I am God.”
— Psalm 46:10
God calls us to be faithful where we are, with what we have, among the people He has placed around us. When we focus there, on what is important, immediate, and doable, we can actually begin to change the world around us.
And sometimes, that’s exactly how God changes the world.
share this
Related Articles
Related Articles
