“If you live a life of watching and waiting, you will know what kind of call you have. You are not called to solve every problem in the world. Jesus was not called to go all over the world. He was called to be faithful to his own people. Every human being has a call. I work with mentally handicapped people. Sometimes I spend hours with one person, and we barely speak. Does that help people in Bosnia, does that help people in Northern Ireland, does it help people in Somalia? I don’t know, but I think it does. I think that when I am faithful to one person who is given to me, when I am convinced that’s my vocation, then I am doing more than when I am anxiously trying to put out all the fires all over the world. And that gives me peace” (Henri Nouwen).
“This quote by Pastor Richard Caldwell is something that has resonated deeply with me over the last few years:
“Could it be that God didn’t wire us to carry every event, taking place in every part of the world, at every moment, as if it were ours? Could it be that technology has produced a faux omniscience and omnipresence that is hurting mankind, not helping it?”
Every day, we’re bombarded with crises, tragedies, and needs from across the globe. Our phones buzz with updates about disasters we can’t reach, conflicts we can’t influence, and suffering that breaks our hearts but remains completely outside our ability to address. And if we’re honest, this constant exposure doesn’t just inform us, but it completely overwhelms us.
Here’s what I’ve been learning (or at least trying to learn):
God never designed us to feel responsible for everything happening everywhere. We are finite creatures with limited physical/emotional capacity, limited resources, and limited time. I’m reminded regularly that I can’t even care about every need in my own family, my church, and my community in equal ways. Some days, I struggle just to love the people sitting at my dinner table well.
This isn’t about becoming callous or indifferent to the needs of others. We know our Savior wept over Jerusalem, and He calls us to “weep with those who weep” and “bear one another’s burdens.” Compassion is central to who we are as Christians.
But as you read the New Testament, you start to see that even Jesus, during His earthly ministry, didn’t heal every sick person or solve every problem. Yet, He always faithfully ministered to those in front of Him. You also notice that the Apostle Paul couldn’t be everywhere at once, so he would entrust the churches to God’s care and to other people who could tangibly help.
The point is that they operated within their God-given human limitations, and so should we.
God has placed you exactly where you are, with the people around you, for His purposes. Your calling isn’t to fix everything everywhere. Your calling is to love faithfully where you are.
So we must learn to be wise stewards of the compassion that God gives us.
We should:
-Pray for needs that come across your heart, knowing that God hears, cares, and acts far beyond our reach (Philippians 4:6-7).
-Serve and love in the spaces where He has placed you—your family, your church, your local community (Galatians 6:10).
-Cast the burdens you cannot bear to the One who lovingly carries them all (1 Peter 5:7).
Moral of the story: You are not called to be God. You are called to be faithful where you are. You don’t have to feel guilty for not solving every problem you see online or on the news. You don’t dishonor God by recognizing your creaturely limits…in fact, you honor Him, because you acknowledge His role as the Sovereign One.
May you learn to find rest in the wisdom of your limits, compassion for those in your path, and peace in knowing that only God is strong enough to carry the weight of the world on His shoulders.
And that is more than enough.”
God hasn’t called any of us to be all things to all people at all times, but He has called us to be faithful where we are until He moves us somewhere else. We are not omniscient, but we have 24/7 access to an omniscient and omnipresent God through prayer. Let that be our first and last option today in all things.
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