Quest 3 - How Do i Make a Difference?

Since the day I was born I have wanted to do something that made a difference. I don’t think that’s out of the ordinary, I believe most people want to do something that changes the world or at least one person's world. It’s something that is naturally embedded in our DNA by God. We can’t escape it. 

A great example of this is the question, what do you want to be when you grow up? When you are a kid that’s the greatest question of all time because it opens up endless possibilities of lifestyle and impact grandeur. Kids will say they want to be an astronaut, a policeman, a doctor, an athlete, some even say they want to be a YouTuber now…. My sister Mack even said she wanted to be an evangelist when she was asked that question at her preschool graduation. Did she have any clue what it meant? I’m not sure, but what I do know is it got a big “Awwwww '' from the crowd in attendance. 

Back to my point - what do all those have in common? Impact. 

However as we age- that question of what do you want to be when you grow up suddenly turns into a terrifying question that you don’t want to get wrong. Often-times we will simply play it safe because we don’t truly believe that we can make a difference and we are afraid of failure. We end up saying “I don’t know. I just want a good job and to live a happy life.” 

Is that truly all we want? I don’t believe so…. Go back to how I started this blog. It is embedded in our DNA to desire impact. We have to recognize it’s there and then embrace it because God will do it. 

I love how Mark Moore laid it out this week in the Quest book when he said, “There’s an important lesson here: the impact of your life is determined not by your ability but by your availability. God has a plan for you that’s based on his goodness, not your greatness.”

Such good words by Mark! I hope you believe that. 

Once we say “Okay God, I’m ready to make an impact,” how do we make that happen? Because let’s be honest… this is a scary thing. 

Let’s put you in a hypothetical situation. You have just been asked to start serving somewhere in the church, you feel like it’s a good fit, you have been wanting to be teamed up for awhile, you like the person that asked you… but for some reason you are terrified. You are all of a sudden saying, I don’t know if I can do this, I don’t know if I have the skill, I don’t know if this is the right decision. 

If that’s you… Don’t worry. I’m there all of the time too. Just because I’m a Pastor doesn’t mean I don’t get scared when God calls me to something. This fear caused me to do some inspection of the scriptures that we read to hopefully find an answer like Mary. 

And boy did I find one. 

Luke 1:35, “The angel replied to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.”

Do you see the two things there? 

1. The Holy Spirit will come upon you. 

If you want to make a difference, here’s one of the best things to know. God is going to provide how He needs to. In this context, the Holy Spirit was providing Jesus to Mary. Mary had not had sexual relations with anyone so it would take a miracle for her to have a baby in her womb. The Holy Spirit provided that.  

In your situation, you might say “God it’s impossible for me to teach kids the Bible, I don’t know enough. God it’s impossible for me to sing into a microphone, I am too scared. God it’s impossible for me to greet people, I am too introverted. God it’s impossible for me to lead a small group of students, I don’t have my life figured out.”

Yes, those may feel like limitations. But you know who doesn’t have limitations? God. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, He will provide the miracle. He will give you the knowledge, the courage, the smile, the empathy, or whatever else is needed. The reason why is because He wants you to make an impact. 

That’s just the first way that we are able to make an impact. The second is one that if we aren’t careful, we can easily forget. 

2. The Power of the Most High will overshadow you. 

I am so glad that the Holy Spirit provides what I need. I am even more glad that the power of God will overshadow me. If this world is dependent on Clay Finklea’s ability to lead people, communicate, and create moments where people can respond to Jesus… we are in trouble.  Our power is not the focal point, God’s power is. 

Our entire goal is to let God be the difference maker. We are just the tools that He uses to accomplish His mission. Does that mean we don’t do anything? Absolutely not. We have to do the work so that He can be known, but if for one second we think this is about us, then we are missing the point. 

That’s what Mary had to realize. The raising of Jesus could not come down to her. She had to do work to help raise Jesus as any mother must, but she had to let the power of God be the difference maker. The result of her doing that is that the power, the story, and the life of Jesus overshadowed her. Mission accomplished!

I know it can feel so scary and challenging to make a difference, but you are able to because God has created you to do so.. All you have to do is make yourself available. Once you make yourself available and accept the role that God has given you, don’t fear, The Holy Spirit will provide and if you keep God the focus, His power will overshadow you. 

The result of all this? “Therefore, the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.”

Whatever God is calling you to can be accomplished. So let’s go and make a difference.