Ephesians 5:16

"Use every chance you have for doing good, because these are evil times." NCV

Our world is clearly falling apart. It is so sad to see but we fight with ourselves about what we should do. I so often feel like I am too young, naive, or too small to make a difference in such a BIG world. It kills me to look around and see much hurt in the world. Our first reaction is to question, "Where is God in the middle of all of this?" It is so hard to trust that He has AMAZING plans for HIS children and the world that HE created so long ago. It is strange to imagine how much different things were when Jesus walked along the dirt of this world. But, it is also funny to think about how so much remains the same. The hatred, the fighting, the selfishness, the pain, the fear: it's all still alive today like it was back then. Why haven't things change? We acknowledge what is going on around us enough to complain for our own selfish reasons. But, when it comes around to actually DOING something for OTHERS, we just sit back and wait for someone else to do it. The celebrities that we SO admire are in other countries helping others but, it also makes you question their TRUE motives (which is sad). I cannot seem to wrap my hands around the fact that I am not the only one that matters in this gigantic world. I may watch the news or listen to my teachers ramble on about what is/has happened all around the world but, I still fear that I couldn't do enough to make difference. So, I just change the channel or start to day-dream about something that directly effects me and continue on in my own little unimportant world. I don't stop and think about ALL the people that are hurting around me. I forget about the people who have bad lives at homes, who do drugs to fit in, who drink to escape the pain, the ones whose bad days have turned into bad weeks, or even the people who just NEED someone to LOVE them. I forget that GOD put little me on this big planet because HE, the Creator, has a purpose for me. I forget that God wants me to LOVE like HE loves me. I can never seem to remember that the Author of Salvation needs me to make a difference in the world. Even if that means just being a friend to the friendless, or just smiling at someone who is having a bad day, or picking up the books of the 'nerdy kid that no one likes.' God needs me to be an example of HIM. He needs all of HIS CHILDREN to shine HIS light. (Even when times are tough and we just feel like giving up). God needs us MOST in these hard times. WE need to start small if we ever want GOD to make a difference in this fallen world. SHINE BRIGHT!

"BE THE CHANGE THAT YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD"
-Mahatma Gandhi