The first step towards functioning as a salt and light of the world is to grow your soul to understand that life should not be about you. If you reject this mindset, you cannot manifest as salt and light of your world. So, you could see the need to watch your world and steer it, but you will never get started without this important mindset shift. It is hard to serve God and yourself at the same time. There will always be a conflict of interest between doing things for yourself and choosing to put others ahead of yourself. It becomes easier when you make the decision to be selfless and stick to it.
Jesus got to a point where he had to surrender his life for the greater good. A point whereby his personal interests and the collective progress were not in alignment and he had to choose saving the world over his own life. He prayed, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done” (Luke 22:42). It takes some deep understanding about how the world works for a man to get to a point where he gives up his life for his friends.
It is fun to declare in public that you want to function as the salt and light of your world. However, the day-to-day demands and implications are serious matters. If your assignment means sacrificing the things that make you happy, how would you respond? Are you open to the idea of delaying your marriage for decades? Watching as others get married and have kids. Would you sacrifice taking on a job for the freedom to pursue your vision? What if you had to spend another ten years in school to get a PhD inorder to be fit for your high calling? And are you submitted to the person or institution that embodies your mission? These are the things you must make peace with, if you want to watch over your world for God.
