Casandra Martin

“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” – Leo Tolstoy

We all want to make a difference. It seems to be a universal yearning to leave the world a better place than we found it. We want our lives to leave an impact, to be felt, to be remembered as worthwhile. We long to do big things about the big troubles in our big world.

Here is the problem. Too often we look at the global-sized problems that scream from the headlines and feel small. There is nothing I can do about famine, tsunamis, war, or the stock market. Idealism fades as the reality of laundry, bills, deadlines, and appointments fills our days.

This is where Tolstoy has it right. We dream of changing the world, but the part of the world we can change isn’t across an ocean, across the country, or across the street. The part of the world that we can change is the part that looks back at us from the mirror.

And even then, we can’t change ourselves. The best change we can offer is a change of heart. Surrender opens the door for God to come in and make the kind of dramatic difference our hearts dream of experiencing. And that’s where the power is. God changes me. I share my life-change with you. You surrender and share your life-change with someone else. One by one, person by person, heart by heart, the world changes.

My Jesus Resolution today is to change the world. Not the big world, my world. My heart. Jesus is the answer to making the world a better place, for creating a legacy I can leave for those who will walk in this world after me. I am not going to complain, grumble, or wish away my chance to make a difference. A heart surrendered to Jesus is the best place to start changing the world.