So you just have to hope...

I am currently taking a Philosophy of Education class and have come to a conclusion that anything that we do, any job that we have, anything that we're passionate about, we're never going to see it fully come to fruition. For example, my passion for racial reconciliation, and racial harmony will probably never be accomplished in my lifetime. It's daunting to look at the big picture (society). It's depressing to look at my immediate surroundings on a Christian college campus. You would think that Christians would be setting the example and loving each other as brothers and sisters in Christ, but we're just as broken and sinful as secular schools. Nevertheless I can't focus on the negatives, all the hoops and the politics. I can't say, "what's the use..." and give up. It's the little battles, the conversations I have with students, coworkers and friends. The blessing to see a persons views change for the better. The grassroots effort to be good stewards of the earth and live in a redemptive state. There is always going to be something wrong, and no matter how many times I achieve the next step, nothing will ever be good enough. Except for God.

At this point in my life I can see 2 stages. The first stage of life is experiencing, growing, and learning about yourself. You try to figure out how God has uniquely wired you as an individual and how you can impact the world with your talents, gifts, and passions.
The second stage of life is trying to figure out how to do what you're passionate about. Even if you are put in a position where you can do what you're passionate about, there will always be trials and tribulations. There will always be hoops and hurdles, and there will ALWAYS be politics. It seems sometimes that we spend 90% of our time fighting the logistical/political brokenness so that we can have the 10% of time to do what we truly love. I just recently had a conversation with my friend Lance. He is going through some political stickiness at work as a youth pastor. With all of the circumstances, only one student showed up to youth group. I told him, "you know what Lance, it's easy to be discouraged by that. But the sweet thing is that one student showed up, which means you got to do what you love and what you're passionate about. You got to love that student and teach him about Christ."

It is SO easy to focus on the negatives. I think it's because we spend the majority of our time focusing on and trying to fix the bad. But we are called to so much more. Think about your life. Think about it as a pie chart. How much of the pie can you fill with blessings, and positive things that are going on in your life right now? I would say the majority of the pie is positive and only a fraction of the pie is negative. We can't let the dark effect the light....the LIGHT always outshines the dark. We only think that the dark outweighs the light, because we're human, sinful, and we don't trust God.