What you do with your life matters. As mentioned in my last post, Do You Want to be a World-Changer?, I believe each and every Christ follower is called to change the world, but that will look different for each of us.

I think one of the most important questions we can ask God is this: What portion of Your Kingdom would You like to entrust to me?

We are not called to take on the world by ourselves. But instead, we are entrusted with a portion of the world where we’re intended to make an impact.

One thing I learned early on in my walk with Christ is that I can’t do it all. I tried to do it all, but then soon, I was burnt out. I tried to take on each and every opportunity to serve only to discover that I wasn’t making much of a difference in any of those areas because I was spread too thin, and I wasn’t necessarily serving within my giftings. It was then, God began to show me that I simply need to focus on that which He calls me to.  And I needed to take a step back from serving for a while in order to recharge and pray about where to go from there.

During this time of rest and renewal, I discovered that if I am going to have any impact for good in this world, I have to be first and foremost a child of God. [Tweet that] I needed to be grounded with Christ as my center and to learn how to walk in the Spirit first. Then, I would be equipped to do the works God prepared beforehand for me to do.

It is true. I still have grandiose dreams of changing the world to the glory of God, and I do believe these dreams have been placed in my heart by the Lord. But I have learned that real change and lasting impact will only be seen if I am walking in my calling. This means I can’t and won’t do it all. This means I need to assess each and every opportunity that comes my way to see whether or not I’m called to do it or if this opportunity is simply a distraction.

We all have a plate, so to speak, and we must understand that our plates are finite. In other words, we only have so much room on our plate, so we need to ensure that we’re deliberate about what we put on there.

Every once in a while, I sit down to assess my plate. I believe it’s important to do this every so often because, sometimes, life just seems to happens. And without periodic assessment, we can become way too bogged down. Before we know it, we have stuff piled high, and we find ourselves drowning in all we have to do.

When I assess my plate, I write down all I am doing including responsibilities (what I call non-negotiables or callings), ways I’m currently serving (at church or elsewhere), and other activities (such as extracurricular activities for the kids, etc). I take a good look at my plate. I pray through my plate. I look at my mental, emotional, and spiritual state. How am I feeling? Am I wearing thin, or am I doing well? How’s my relationship with Jesus? Then, I pray, asking God to show me what He would have me do.

Honestly, I’m not interested in doing for the sake of doing. I don’t want my plate to be filled with activities that I was never intended to do, wearing me thin and making me ineffective in the areas I am called to. I want to do what I am called to do. Period. [Tweet that]

We live in such a fast paced society––one that promotes doing it all––that we get distracted and forget to stay grounded. We also forget the importance of rest. Now I know that Jesus is our rest, so even in the mist of doing, we can be at rest with God. But taking the time to stop and rest is a discipline God intends for us to embrace and make room for as well. 

All that being said, we were created by God for good works. And when we finally find our sweet spot and are living at the center of God’s will for our lives, we will make a difference in this world. We will see lives redeemed around us as a result of the Holy Spirit’s work through us. And I believe if we guard our hearts, keeping Jesus at the center of all we do, standing ready to be used by God to bring about His purposes here on the earth, we will make an impact to the glory of God and for the good of all.

We can’t do it all, but we can do what we are called to do. And when you and I walk in our callings––when you do your part and I do mine––together we can change the world.

Our lives matter. What you do with your life matters. The choices you make day in and day out matter. What you put on your plate matters.

Let us live our lives with intention, loving fully, doing only that which we are called to do. [Tweet that]

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Have you assessed your plate lately? What’s on your plate that you might need to take off in order to live your life more effectively for Christ? Share in the comments.