“Do I really matter?” is a question we all ask ourselves at least some of the time. It is not narcissistic to want to others to care that we exist, to feel that our life makes a difference. Look at the child who dances for her father, or who tries so hard to master that skill that she knows will impress her parent. Check out the teen who looks for a way to be noticed even as he carefully fits into his chosen social circle. We all look around and measure our lives against those who surround us - wondering if the world knows we are alive.
Notes that express thanks turn into treasures.
Phone calls that bring us word of care warm our hearts.
Why?
Because they are tangible reminders that we matter to that
person.
Most of us will live our days in relative obscurity and pass from the scene to be largely forgotten within a generation’s time. It is a fact we have differing abilities and opportunities. We need not become a CEO, a world-renowned artist, a best-selling author, or an Olympic medalist to matter. Not all can be superstars, yet we can all matter.
We can all LOVE others and God,
and in
that faithful devotion,
we will become people who matter!
There is a story in the book of The Acts, chapter 9, that illustrates the importance of each and every life to God. A Christian who lived in Damascus enters the record from nowhere and just as quickly disappears, but what a pivotal person he was. Without Ananias the story of Christianity would have to be rewritten.
"Now there was a believer in Damascus named Ananias.
The Lord spoke to him in a vision, calling, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord!” he replied.
The Lord said, “Go over to Straight Street, to the house of Judas. When you
arrive, ask for Saul of Tarsus. He is praying to me right now. I have shown him
a vision of a man named Ananias coming in and laying his hands on him so that
he can see again.” “But Lord,” exclaimed Ananias, “I’ve heard about the
terrible things this man has done to the believers in Jerusalem! And we hear
that he is authorized by the leading priests to arrest every believer in
Damascus.” But the Lord said, “Go and do what I say. For Saul is my chosen
instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the
people of Israel. And I will show him how much he must suffer for me.”
So Ananias went and found Saul. He laid his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me so that you may get your sight back and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Instantly something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized. Afterward he ate some food and was strengthened. Saul stayed with the believers in Damascus for a few days." (Acts 9:10-19, NLT)
This man’s faithfulness is amazing when we set it in the
context of the time. He knew about Saul,
the zealous Pharisee who had made it his life’s purpose to eradicate the Jesus
Followers. Those people spread a message
that Saul considered a falsehood, a threat to his religion. Most likely he had
heard that this fanatic was coming to find people just like him, to beat them,
arrest them, even to drag them back to Jerusalem for religious trials. God, the
Spirit, comes over him and asks him to go and meet the man who could harm him,
perhaps even end his life! “I’ve heard
about the terrible things this man has done to the Believers in Jerusalem!” he
objects. But, God urges him to go and
pray for him! And he does!
What love and faith find their way into the story as Ananias meets the tormenter of his fellow-believers. He speaks to Saul as “Brother Saul.” He extends fellowship, grace, and love. Most likely Ananias was the one who baptized Saul on that day, too. The rest, as we say, is history. Saul becomes Paul, the apostle to the Gentile world, the inspired author of more than half of the New Testament.
And Ananias?
He disappears into anonymity but what a
difference his cameo appearance in history made.
Yes, he matters.
Who might you love to life, my friend?
Whose destiny might be changed by your investment in their
life, if even for a short season?
Your name may not be known a generation from now.
Your contribution to the ‘story’ may be hidden from view,
but it is never overlooked nor forgotten by God.
Our faithfulness is what makes us into a person who matters: faithful in the place where we are given opportunities - great and small - to care, to love, to give, to encourage, to pray.
The word from the Word urges us to make today’s choices in the light of eternity’s promise. May the Spirit guide us into lives that are lived in such a way that we matter in the things that are of true and lasting worth.
"The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be
earnest and disciplined in your prayers. Most important of all, continue to
show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.
Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay. God
has given gifts to each of you from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Manage
them well so that God’s generosity can flow through you. Are you called to
be a speaker? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Are
you called to help others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God
supplies. Then God will be given glory in everything through Jesus Christ.
All glory and power belong to him forever and ever. Amen." (1 Peter
4:7-11, NLT)
(Video of this blog at this link)
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We're pilgrims on the journey
Of the narrow road
And those who've gone before us
Line the way
Cheering on the faithful
Encouraging the weary
Their lives a stirring testament
To God's sustaining grace
Surrounded by so great
A cloud of witnesses
Let us run the race
Not only for the prize
But as those who've gone before us
Let us leave to those behind us
The heritage of faithfulness
Passed on through godly lives
Oh may all who come behind us
Find us faithful
May the fire of our devotion
Light their way
May the footprints that we leave
Lead them to believe
And the lives we live
Inspire them to obey (to obey)
(Oh may all who come behind us)
(Find us faithful)
After all our hopes and dreams
Have come and gone
And our children sift through all
We've left behind
May the clues that they discover
And the mem'ries they uncover
Become the light that leads them
To the road we each must find
Find us faithful
Oh may all who come behind us
Find us faithful
Jon Mohr © 1987 Mystic Beard Music; Jonathan Mark Music
CCLI License # 810055
