We love films and stories where people discover that they are able to do more and be more than they could imagine. Gladiator is the story of a slave, who became a gladiator, who defied an emperor. Coach Carter shows a basketball team that everyone has written off, win the league. Then we have the classic comic films where Spiderman realises the responsibility that comes with his power and becomes a superhero.

There are many reasons why we love these films; procrastination from essays, escapism, but deep down is it rooted in a belief that this is possible in reality, maybe even possible in my life? We get to the end of the story absolutely believing in the power of people who invest in their character and chase what they believe in.

At the end of the film we’re on a high, we finish any remaining popcorn, put the DVD back in the box and then realise that this is real life and we are just normal people, ordinary students with mundane lives, we are not world changers.

When we are faced with the seemingly overwhelming idea of changing the world, seeing a world where we love people deeply, sacrificially, relentlessly, a world where people are released from poverty, there is a phrase that the Tearfund Rhythms team have been enjoying musing on…

‘If you want to change the world, you need to become the kind of person that changes the world.’

Likewise, if you want to see your university or campus change, you need to become the kind of person who changes your campus. Let’s take a step back and ask what this might look like because this is the deep stuff that challenges our thinking about who we are, who we want to be and what we do as a result.

If you want to see people in your university love Jesus, maybe you will want to invest in a character trait of persistent prayer for them. This looks like praying, listening and obeying. Will this change your uni and change the world? Yes. If you want to see people in your CU connect the dots between our big gospel of Jesus and justice, maybe you want to invest in a character trait of relentless hope. Relentless hope leads us to make sure that they way we buy our clothes shows upmost value and dignity to the people who made it, or it might outwork in your recycling because you are relentlessly hoping that every drop of action contributes to a future tipping point.

You can change the world and change your uni if you become the kind of person who changes the world or your uni. Who are you becoming?

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For more articles like this, please visit http://village.rhythms.org/ for videos, interviews, thoughts and photos.

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