Being an ‘evangelist’ has negative connotations in the world we reside in. But an evangelist, by definition, is simply someone who spreads good news. It’s someone who gets stick on a big idea or a passionate cause and then walks out and spreads the message like a virus. It’s someone who gets so engaged in doing something important that it’s all he thinks about, dreams about and talks about.
It’s a human being who understands – at cellular level – What Dr Martin Luther King Jr meant when he said: “If you have not discovered something you are willing to die for, then you are not fit to live.” This troubled and uncertain world of ours needs more evangelists: human beings doing great things, blessing lives by their actions, making a difference.
Where did most people’s passion for the greatness go? Each of us had it as kids. We wanted to be superheroes, astronauts, poets and painters. We wanted to change the world and stand on mountain tops. Then, as we aged, life began to work on us. Disappointments began to show up and life began to hurt us. We started thinking that and we should not high too big or love too much. It breaks my heart to think about it. But that’s exactly what happens.
You are meant to shine. You are here to find a cause. You are meant to find something that your life will stand for that will consume you, something so beautiful and meaningful that you’d be willing to take a bullet for it. It might mean developing people at work and helping them work to their highest potential. Your cause might involve elevating communities or helping people in need.
When you find the mission that your life will be dedicated to, you’ll wake up each day with that fire in your belly. You won’t want to sleep. You’ll be willing to move mountains to make it happen. You’ll find that sense of internal fulfillment that may now be missing from your life. And you’ll preach that message to anyone who’ll listen. You’ll become an evangelist.