I hear this all the time, it screams inside of me quite frequently also, and for GOODNESS SAKE, I work in the non-profit sector, in a job I adore, that is more than employment for me, it is quite a God-Spot, a calling. But I have people all the time, of all ages, come up and say "Do you have any positions open? I really want to do something that matters"
And I have some thoughts on this....thoughts that have been cultivated in the mundane, the waiting seasons, the times of complete despair in wondering what was next for me.
My thoughts (if you care): EVERYTHING you do matters.
I understand how being in a job that does not directly connect you with humanitarian or ministry-minded tasks can make you feel like you are not "making a difference". But what about your co-workers, children, family members, neighbors and friends, and frenemies....your circle of influence. This is your calling, your time is here and now, not a future moment of greatness waiting to be discovered, but the minutes that make the hours, of the days, of the weeks, of the years that make YOUR LIFE.
Wayne Elsey, the CEO and founder of Soles4Souls, was a shoe executive, and decided to help people overseas that were affected because of the tsunami. He didn't wait until he started a non-profit to help others. Gwen Herod, my Sunday School teacher, who was a victims advocate for County Government, did her job by day and spent her weekends pouring her life and laughter into young twenty-somethings at Westside Baptist Church. Alexander Diaz, a Puerto-Rican American citizen, worked for a UPS Store; collected 160,000 pairs of shoes to give to charity, while he mailed packages and made copies and graphics in his Massachusetts store. Amy Lowry, a dear friend and stay at home Mom, is raising two beautiful girls who will change the world, and she leads worship at her church and pours her life into women from her church family. Jennifer, my hair stylist, gives me a head massage and washes my hair and speaks softly and gently to me, and her love is felt the whole time she makes me hair pretty. My friend Lisa Marie, a hospice nurse, makes people in their last days comfortable and gives families support while they leave this world, she is a beautiful singer and often sings to them. Lorenzo, the janitorial staff person at my church, makes you feel like a million bucks when you see him on Sunday, he is always dressed to the nines, and he picks up empty coffee cups, and church bulletins on the floor in between services...with great joy.
I could keep going. But I won't. I understand how life can look very different at times from how you imagined it. I understand how you can feel that your presence here is quite insignificant, especially when compared to others. I. GET. IT. (trust me)
But I also know the beauty of our purpose here, and that is to love God, and love others first, and pour our life into the world around us. Leave it better. Leave your mark, and be open to whatever that may be, even if it looks different from your "vision"of it. Stay humble, and remember that the small stuff really is the big stuff.
