A Million Little Kingdoms

My generation has a tendency to want to change the world.

We grew up being told to follow our dreams, invest in our passions, and believe that it’s possible for one person to make planet-wide positive change. And many of us have — we’ve built companies, started charities, created movements, and made a tangible impact on the world around us.

But we’re also a stressed out generation. Most of us are burdened with student load debt and trying to live up to increasingly unrealistic expectations. And you know what else can weigh upon a persons’ shoulders?

Trying to find a way to change the world.

You guys, the world is so big! There are literally billions of people in hundreds of countries and trying  to make a notable difference…well, it’s a lot. But I realized something recently.

You don’t have the change the world. You just have to change yours.

Honestly, I don't think any of us are called to change the entire world. As we’ve established, the world is a big place. And even arguably the most influential person ever to live, Jesus himself, didn’t try to do it alone. He could have become an all-powerful king, and extended his influence from a place of celebrity as many expected of the messiah, but instead He looked at the world at hand, the people right in front of him whose lives he could change, and started there.

And if that model worked for Jesus, isn’t that where we should start, too?

In a conversation with RELEVANT Magazine, Sarah Pullman Bailey, religion reporter for The Washington Post, mentioned in a discussion on faith and culture that “now it seems like there are a million little kingdoms.”

I love this idea that within the greater kingdom of God, there are a million little kingdoms. There’s the kingdom of your family. The kingdom of your classmates or coworkers. The kingdom of your church, the women you have book club with on Thursdays, the guys who come over to watch the game, your Facebook friends, the community of people who follow that blogger you love, the other parents you see at your kid’s talent show.

And because you know the people in your kingdom, and they know you, you can be influential and make a big difference.

Jesus started his ministry by gathering a dozen guys and making a difference in their lives. Look at the world at hand, the people right in front of you, and start there. What little kingdom needs you? What little kingdom can you pour into and help make better?

You don’t have the change the world. You just have to change yours. 💜