Waiting on the World to Change

Go ahead and call me dumb, but John Mayer's Waiting on the World to Change (I kinda like this churchified video) keeps playing in my head, over and over and over. I'm not really a fan of his, but I definitely identify with the sentiment. Is this really the best we can do as a state, as a country, as a world, as a church??

My basic life goal is to make a measurable difference for the better. Thus far, I haven't been put in a position to change things. It's frustrating. I wonder sometimes that if I am put in a position to change things, by the time will I have lost all the naive enthusiasm and optimism that I now have? Is it possible that I might hinder a young idealist like me and turn him into just another old cynical curmudgeon?

But here's the thing: people all over the world have been "waiting on the world to change" since the beginning. Why can't humans get it right? Why can't we achieve that elusive Utopian society? Now that all the Hippies and Yuppies have each had their chance to rule America, are we any better off??

Romans 8:18-25 tells us that all creation is frustrated and groaning, waiting on Jesus to restore everything.

My generation is getting ready to step up to the plate and take our turn with the world. I'm pretty confident that by the time I'm 60-ish the young people will still be complaining about the same things that I'm tired of.

However, while we may not be able to change the world, we can definitely impact our families, our churches, our jobs, and our communities. One person can absolutely make a difference, and several people together can make a big difference. So let's get started making our little differences and trust that Jesus is still coming back to change the whole world into an actual Utopia. In this way, we are "Changing the World While We Wait" for Jesus. Maybe someone can make a catchy song out of that phrase.