In Walter Isaacson’s biography of Steve Jobs, Pepsi CEO John Scully recounts Jobs’s pitch to join Apple.
According to Scully, Jobs issued a challenge. “Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water, or do you want a chance to change the world?”
In some way, we all face a similar question.
I’ve been writing a lot lately about social justice issues—for example, (Psalm 82—Action Verbs) and (Know Or Do). I’m excited about the amazing work of International Justice Mission, and I hope to share a bit of what I learn. But I need to issue a caution to myself.
The world’s filled with “worthy” causes. Incredibly selfless people dedicate talent and energy to address poverty, slavery, abuse, hunger, disease, clean water, violence, homelessness, education … the list seems endless.
Most of us don’t have the resources to effectively support every worthwhile mission. They’re all important, but trying to do everything really means doing nothing. If we wish to make a difference, we need to narrow the focus. How do you choose the “right” cause or organization?
There’s no single correct answer. You pray and listen to your heart and talk to people you trust. It’s important to investigate, but in the end you trust God to lead you in the right direction.
Selecting one doesn’t mean rejecting the others. Choosing is hard when everyone markets their cause with pictures of starving, abused children, filthy water, and wounded veterans. This world is broken and it’s not my job to fix it. God’s taking care of that, in His timing. I’m called to make a difference. I can only do what I can, where I am, with what I have.
Seeking the “right” mission can create a sense of guilt that’s one of the enemy’s most powerful tools. Guilt splinters efforts and renders them ineffective. It steals the joy of serving. It can immobilize and prevent you from doing anything.
God isn’t about guilt. He wants wise, prayerful selections, but mostly He wants us to serve with passion, freedom, and joy. So you choose as wisely as possible and trust Him to bless and multiply your efforts.
So I write about my bike ride and the issues of IJM. Of course I’d like your support. But I hope it never sounds like guilt.
What matters is that we all do something with our gifts and passions. We each need to answer Jesus’ challenge:
“Do you want to spend the rest of your life __________, or do you want a chance to change the world?”
If you’d like to contribute to International Justice Mission through my ride, please go to this page. Be sure to find my name under “participant name” so your donation’s properly credited.
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