Things to remember before I try to change the world

God is not a Republican. He’s not a Democrat, a Libertarian or a member of the Green Party. God is neither far right nor far left. He is definitely not a moderate. God’s not even an American. God will not show me His papers. God is not a political platform, doctrinal diatribe, or denominational distinctive. God is God.

I am not God. I’ve never been God and I’ll never be God. I don’t have God’s perspective nor His patience. God is bigger than me. I am really small and God is really big. I cannot overstate how small I am in comparison to God. Try to imagine the difference, then multiply that by more than I can imagine. That would be the difference between my size and God’s size. My plans are person-size plans. People-size plans are very small. Even really good people-size plans are still limited by the size of people. My plan is dust-size, mite-size in comparison to God.

I am the most dangerous person I will ever meet. I have the ability to ruin my life. The world is not my first problem. I am my biggest problem and I am my biggest dilemma. If I don’t get this thing with me figured out, nothing else will matter.

Before I change the world, I must deal with the brokenness within me. If I don’t think I’m broken, then I’m the worst kind of broken, the kind of broken that refuses to be fixed. People who refuse to admit to their brokenness have a habit of hurting the world. They tear others down to build themselves up, they waste decades trying to defeat the infidels while their closest relationships crumble.

Before I change the world, I must admit that I have always been a hypocrite. I am not consistent in my actions and my behavior is duplicitous. My thoughts and inner motivations are frequently conflicted and even sometimes downright wicked. I am a hypocrite in need of grace. The world is destroyed by perpetually righteous men with perpetually righteous motivations. I must not be that person! I must not be the unyielding unrepentant fool. Be humble Doug, admit to your hypocrisy, grow in your awareness of the grace in which you stand. I must bring myself and others into that grace. Before I change the world.

(I first wrote this post using the word “you” instead of “I” and “me.” I think this is a much better version.)