You Were Made to Make A Difference

The lovely folks over at Thomas Nelson sent me You Were Made to Make a Difference by Max Lucado and Jenna Lucado Bishop (his daughter).  I'm normally not a big Max Lucado fan, but the title hooked me; it seemed like a book I might applaud.

And so I do.  The book is obviously geared toward teenagers, but that's okay because the message is something teenagers need to hear- especially in our Western world of ipods, Xboxs, and general over-indulgence.  The book is somewhat interactive, giving the reader the opportunity to reflect and journal to a small extent.  Lucado and Bishop also highlight several young people who have made a difference in the lives of others.   The book is simply all about encouraging the reader to live for a higher purpose- in short, to realize they can and should make a positive impact on their world.

A caveat: the first chapter or so focuses on realizing that we are each special, but it focuses a bit too much on that for my taste.  Yes, we are all unique and different and very important to God, but in today's world, I think children and teenagers get too much of the "You-are-so-special-you-can-do-anything-you-want-to-because-you-are-great-at-everything!!!" jargon.  Every person simply cannot be the best at everything (and this attitude leads to a generation full of those who feel entitiled to anything and everything); I think many people in my generation are struggling with low self-esteem issues now because for years in grade school and secondary school, they were told they are talented and special and wonderful and the secret to the world's success...and they are out in the great big world now, realizing they are not, in fact, the secret to the world's success.  They realize that they need other people, that they are not great at everything, and that life doesn't always go the way you planned it- even if you scored well on your SAT and got a great internship in university.  They're having a tough time realizing that even though they're not making millions and jet-setting around the globe that their life is still worth living and can still impact others for the better. 

I would encourage teenagers to read this book, but I would also encourage parents and those adults involved in the teenagers lives to remind them that yes, they can make a huge difference in the world and to always pursue their dreams...but to also realize making a huge difference won't necessarily mean saving millions of children from malaria but in fact may mean helping one family by purchasing their Christmas gifts in their time of need or helping one refugee learn English or volunteering one night a week at the local soup kitchen.  Just because you may not see big results doesn't mean that you actually didn't make a difference- a big difference. 

And in the end, I hope my nieces and nephews will read this book sometime very, very soon!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”