Introduction
In writing this blog each week, sometimes I feel like God is poking and prodding me to write about something I'd rather keep to myself. This is one of those weeks. But I figure if I resist God's prodding, He might have a whale swallow me up like Jonah, then have it barf me up on the shores of Nineveh, and I'll end up writing about this eventually anyway.
Significance
I've written before about my belief that Satan is very clever and excellent at finding ways to try to separate us from God and diverge, albeit ever so slightly sometimes, from God's path for us. In my experience and observations of the people I know, the evil one doesn't usually attack us with an axe or machete, or even his infamous pitchfork. Instead, his attacks are more subtle, like quick but painful pin pricks.
As I grow older, it's starting to feel like one such tool that Satan uses against me is allowing me to wonder if I matter any more. Unfortunately, this question wove its way into my personal reflections this past week.
Background
In my lucid moments, when I'm not wondering if Satan's lies are true, I know I matter to my wife. For example, she agreed to move across country with me because I thought it would be best for our future and eventual retirement. And she has even told me I'm the most important in her life, and that she loves me even more than her little barky dog, our grandson, and our kids. And yet, when Satan pricked me with his pin, I allowed myself to question my significance to my wife.
Adding to that, I've recently started a new job. They gave me an important title and have essential things lined up for me to do, but those responsibilities haven't kicked in yet. But at work, I'm used to being responsible for critical projects, and a key part in making sure they get done on time and with high quality. So, in some of my weaker moments this week, I allowed myself to lament my insignificance, even though it's a false narrative. A lie from the father of lies.
Also, in recent years, I have even struggled with my importance to my grown children. Logically, I know that my position in their lives must evolve as they grow up. The days when my children's reliance on me was immediate and tangible have transitioned into a different kind of need—one that is less about dependency and more about love, guidance, and support from a distance. This change, though a natural progression of growth and independence, occasionally stirs in me a longing for the time when I was central in their worlds.
I know, all this makes no sense. That's why I didn't really want to write about it.
Turning to God: Our Eternal Significance
Normally, I'm able to remind myself that ruminations like these are attacks from the evil one, thereby slamming the door on them. However, there are times when I can't shake these negative thoughts.
Yet, in these moments of doubt, I am reminded that our significance cannot be solely measured by the roles we play or the recognition we receive from the world around us. Turning to God, I find a truth that is both humbling and uplifting: I matter to God—deeply and unequivocally.
God created each of us uniquely, placing us in our specific contexts for reasons beyond our full understanding. The afterglow of Easter, with its powerful reflection on sacrifice and resurrection, serves as a poignant reminder of our value in God's eyes. Jesus endured the cross for us, not as a distant deity performing an abstract act of salvation, but as a friend who desires an intimate relationship with each of us. This act of love is a testament to our worth in the divine narrative.
God's Work Through Us
Moreover, the way God chooses to work in the world further underscores our significance. More often than not, God's interventions are not marked by grandiose miracles but by the quiet workings through the lives of ordinary people. We are God's hands and feet, called to serve and love others, sometimes in ways we may never fully realize. Our actions, our words, even our struggles shared, can become vessels of God's grace to someone else—perhaps someone we've never met, in circumstances we could never have predicted.
This perspective shifts the lens through which we view our significance. It's not about the visible markers of importance or the loudness of our impact. Instead, it's about being faithful to God's calling, recognizing that we are part of a larger, divine purpose that transcends our understanding. Our worth is intrinsic, woven into the very fabric of our creation and sustained by the love that sought us out, even to the point of death on a cross.
Embracing Our Role in God's Story
As I continue my search for significance in my weaker moments—and as each of us does the same thing—we should rest in the assurance that we do matter—to God and in the nearly infinite web of human connection He weaves around us. Our significance might evolve over time, but it never diminishes in the eyes of the One who created us. In every season of life, whether we are acutely needed or gently supporting from the sidelines, our value remains constant in God's unchanging gaze.
So, let us move forward with confidence, not in our own indispensability, but in the knowledge that we play a critical role in God's eternal story—one of redemption, love, and unending significance. Yes, we matter, not because of what we do or how much we are needed, but because we are cherished by God, called to reflect His light in a dark world in desperate need of it. And in this truth, may we find our ultimate significance.
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