You’re probably thinking:
Jonathan, this is a horrible time to be alive. Haven’t you seen ISIS? All the racial tension and shootings happening? Have you seen our presidential candidates?! The scandals. The emails. The Tic Tacs… Right now is a crazy, peace-less time.
I hear you. But I’m still convinced now is the most exciting time to be alive. Here’s why.
Awareness
We’ve never been more aware of what’s going on in our world than we are right now. Something happens in Iraq? We know about it almost immediately. The truth is, these crazy things have always been happening. Racial tension has always been there. Right now it’s just coming to the surface and spreading enough for us all to know about it.
I can tell right now you think I’m actually disproving my point. Awareness has done more for our stress than it has given us opportunities. But stay with me. The opportunity is coming.
Potential for Change
Awareness must happen first before there’s the potential for change. Now that we know, we have more opportunity than any other generation to make a change for the positive.
We can do something about racial tension. We can do something about ISIS atrocities. We can fix our political system. None of those things had the potential for change before because they weren’t public knowledge. And because they weren’t widely known, only a few select people had the opportunity to dream up solutions.
Now, a kid can start brainstorming solutions to these problems mere moments after finishing his or her math homework. They can start contributing to the change.
Your Ability to Reach
And this is the number one reason I believe we’re living in the best times. You have the power to make positive change in the world. You might not be able to singlehandedly solve racial tension, but you can reach out to someone different than you and demonstrate love. You’re no longer bound by your neighborhood, city, or even nation. Love can travel through ones and zeroes and make a real impact.
Ultimately, the love of God is the only thing that can change the world. And never before has it been easier to share that love of God. It’s all at your fingertips. It’s in that little dot at the top of your laptop screen. You can affect real change.
The only way this works, though, is if we refuse to be ruled by fear and instead let Love lead us. We can embrace the opportunity our generation has and do something that makes an impact – both for now and for eternity.