Let’s be real for a second. It is no secret that Millennials have a desire to change the world. The world is dark and we are challenging poverty, racism, hatred, sexism, and any number of other problems. We see what needs changed in the world and we want to do something to change it!

So what is the disconnect? Why is it that we have an entire generation of Millennials who want to change the world, yet we see so little change? This is because of the Millennial disconnect. What that means is that even though we have a desire to change the world we do not have the drive to change the world.

First we need to define desire. Desire is a burning passion for something. If you are hungry, you may desire a slice of pizza (or two). If you are thirsty, you may desire water (or Mountain Dew). But just because you desire pizza and Mountain Dew does not mean that they will magically appear. You must have the drive to stand up to go and get what it is that you want. Millennials are the same with their desire for change. We are so hungry and thirsty for how we want the world to be, but do we really have the drive to produce that change?

Most Millennials won’t even have the drive to finish reading this article. That shows us the first disconnect, the Millennial attention span. We see everything going wrong, but then we only care about that issue long enough for the next sad issue to come along. Entertainment and media updates so frequently that we get accustomed to this culture of quick thrills. The problem is that what we want to see changed does not keep our interest long enough to incite drive, we just move on.

With the world the way that it is, it is far too easy to find another injustice or problem to move on to. Which brings us to the second disconnect, the small world. As Millennials, we have grown up in a culture where we can communicate with anyone, at any time, and we see every calamity via social media or YouTube. This develops a heart of discouragement. We see every wrong, and we see the magnitude of the problem so that it becomes easy to get discouraged. In return, we do not want to do anything. We say things like “What can one person do?” or, “My help won’t matter against something so big.” This attitude and discouragement kills drive.

The final disconnect for Millennials is the entitled mindset. Trust me, I get it. We are tired of hearing about how entitled we are, but let’s stop getting mad at the people who say it and examine it to see if it is true. We have this view that change is easy, fast, and lucrative. Well, change is not easy, fast, or lucrative causing many Millennials to give up, revealing entitlement. We are so busy thinking that change is about helping us feel better, that we forget that change is for everyone. If there is nothing in it for us, we get frustrated with the process of change and we quit, revealing our entitled mindset.

If you don’t believe me, then look at how we have tried to change the world as a generation. We have more “Twitter Worriers” than volunteers. It is so easy to post about what we don’t like on social media and think that it is changing all of the bad people in the world through the power of pretty pictures and clever captions.

So then, if we have established that we have a desire to change the world, then what do we have to do about it? There are three things that an individual needs to give towards changing the world: our time, energy, and resources. Changing the world is not writing an inspirational post that goes viral, it is giving up your hours to serve others. It is not whining about something that you don’t like on social media, but getting up out of your chair and making a difference. Finally, you have to put your money where your mouth is. Those who are working to make a difference need the support of others to pay for the needs of working towards change.

If you have a heart for stopping abortion, then stop whining about corrupt politicians and start writing those who represent you to press on. To stop trafficking, we need people who will volunteer in women’s shelters, and we need to stop promoting trafficking through porn. Racism is promoted by those who post about how one side is worse than the other. There should not be sides. Stop actively promoting division and reach out to those who are hurting because of the problem.

Millennials, we have to stop thinking that we can change the world overnight! We can’t, especially through twitter. This world is far to broken to fix it with a post. You cannot change the way that someone thinks through a single post, or by taking a knee, or by waving a banner. But we can change the world by displaying change. But to be the change that we want to see takes work, hard work. That change has to start in our hearts. We have to change our way of thinking. Ultimately we have to recognize that we are broken people trying to help a broken world.

So therein lies the problem. People are the problem, because people sin. It is not society that teaches people to shoot up schools or rape. That is part of who we are as people. We are all sinners. As sinners we can only change the world if our heart is changed by the grace and power that comes through faith in Jesus Christ. I don’t mean posting Bible verses on social media, because then we come into the same exact problems as before. We have to put in the work. Matthew 5:16 says “Let your light so shine before men, that they see your good works, and glorify your Father in heaven.” To change the world we have to be the light in the darkness. Posting about the darkness does not bring light. Only by changing our own broken hearts can we do anything to fix this broken world.  

And we cannot do it alone. Fixing the racial problems is not a black vs. white issue. But we can all stand together to not determine someone’s character by the color of their skin. We can all stand together and support organizations that are promoting the right kind of change. We can all vote for people in public office that stand for what is right. We are so much better together, and now more than ever we need to stand together.

Millennials, to change the world the way that we want to, we have to have the drive to do it. That starts today. Do more than just share this post: volunteer somewhere, donate to an organization that is making a difference, stand with someone in need. It is going to take time to see the change, but take heart, change will come. One day Christ will return and redeem this broken world, in the meantime we have to continue to be a light in the darkness.

Next Steps:

• Have Questions? Reach out here!
• Need Further Resources? Click here!