Why I Hate Instagram

Sometimes the reality of day-to-day life looks a lot different than on social media. Adventures staff Jen Schwab describes what it really means to change the world.

The pregnancy sickness subsides, and I find myself able to perform basic tasks again. I stand a little taller and walk straighter, and it feels good. I am back to changing the world.

Changing the world. Everyone wants to do it. Some people claim to do it. But often, I wonder if anyone really knows what the heck they’re talking about when they speak of changing the world.

A stroll through my Facebook feed tells me that changing the world means:

• Glamorous Instagram shots of beautiful scenery
• A meme inspiring me to go – adventure means to “go”
• Something involving a canoe
• Feet. So. Many. Feet.

Sometimes, to make a difference, does indeed include a beautiful view, and leaving a place of comfort…and oddly enough maybe even a canoe. But what if my life doesn’t look like that?

What if my life does not Instagram? What if it looks…well…normal? (*insert gasp*)

My life is normal. I go to work. I raise my kids. I pay my taxes. And my plate doesn’t inspire a photo shoot. Am I changing the world?

Are you changing the world? Here are some questions to ask yourself.

Is it difficult?

Changing the world is hard work. It’s challenging, and it stretches us, sometimes to the core. It ain’t no beach day with a coconut in hand. You put your all into it, it exhausts you, you go to bed, just to wake up and do it all over again the next day.

Is this you? You just might be changing the world.

Does it suck?

Changing the world is not all fun and games. If it was, everyone would do it! In addition to being just plain difficult, it’s often not fun either. Everyone else is going to that thing, at that place – and sometimes you have to make a different decision. Your priorities are different.

Sound familiar? You just might be changing the world.

Does it matter?

Changing the world is important work. Does your effort matter? Not to Facebook. Not to the media. Maybe not even to your friends or family. Does someone else depend on you doing your work well and on-time? If you don’t do it, does someone else suffer?

Does your work matter to someone? If so, I think you’re on to something.

*Photo by @racewithren.

Changing the world. It could look like an adventure. But so much more often, that adventure is right here, right now. At Adventures in Missions, our mission is to take people out on an adventure – but not because adventure is the answer. We take people out, to give them a glimpse of something else – that they really can change the world – often in their own community, often in their own lives.

But the real adventure often starts when they choose to engage in something that is difficult, that sucks, and that matters to someone else in the world. Every day until the job is done.

Sometimes changing the world means sitting your butt down and getting the job done, no matter how inglorious it may seem, no matter what it takes. And it may not Instagram well. Changing the world is rarely glamorous, and requires commitment that goes well beyond the fun. Will you choose it anyway?

Can you say “yes” to all three questions? If so, you are indeed changing someone’s world.

Is there one you can’t? That’s where you need to start digging if you truly want to change the world.

*Top photo by Kristen.

What does it mean for God to use you to change the world? Will you choose it anyway? 

If you feel God is calling you to serve him on a missions trip next year, click here for more information!