I’m a guy who likes to be seen. I want my stuff out in front of people. I aim for greatness. I love the attention. I live for the feedback…
Great job.
I loved what you did there.
This means a lot to me.
You changed my life.
Believe it or not, I’m not a very cocky or arrogant person. In fact, if anything, I’m not especially confident at all. But making an impact or getting a response changes things. It makes me feel alive. It makes me feel like I matter, that my existence means something.
I want to show people that there is hope, and I get discouraged. Why?
Because right now, I’m a guy sitting in his bedroom who wonders if anyone actually reads the stuff he writes.
I feel discouraged because I’m making it about me.
A Classic Parable
If a shepherd has 100 sheep and one wanders off, will he leave the other 99 to find the one stray sheep?
Jesus asked this question back in the Biblical days. This shepherd has 99 sheep who stay together and know what’s going on. They don’t need a lot of help or direction. The problem is that one dumb little sheep that wandered off.
If I were a shepherd, a part of me would want to stay with the 99. It’s that own sheep’s fault that he got lost. Being with the larger group makes me feel significant. It’s where I want to be.
Speaking of Jesus
Ever have a person tell you that Jesus died for our sins? Did that person say that even if it was just for you, He would have died just the same?
I’m not trying to preach salvation. I’m just trying to get you to think about sacrifice, about love, about purpose.
Can you imagine living your life solely for one person? Can you imagine dying just so one person could live?
The life I live, the passions I have, is it about me or others? I like to think it’s about others.
Is it Enough?
If everything I ever did impacted one person, would that be enough? If I poured my heart and soul into this blog and it managed to turn just one person’s life around, would I consider it a success? Or would I see my time as wasted?
Because if my life isn’t about me, if I write for other people, then that should be seen as a victory. That should mean the world to me.
And if I get into that mindset, if I see every person, every life as something significant, how much more would that drive me? If my words can make an impact in one person’s life, maybe they could affect another’s.
Your life. Your job. Your career. Your dream. What is it aiming at? What is it measured by? What keeps you going?
It’s just something I’ve been thinking about lately: the little things, the least of these. Maybe that’s the first step to filling up this blank page….
(New posts every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. In the mean time, like us on facebook!)
I often have the feeling that I not only want to do something great (with me, it’s leading the children’s ministry at my church), I also want recognition. I want the pastors to tell me what a great job I do, I want the kids to tell me how much fun they had or how much they learned, I want the parents to appreciate the time and energy that goes into planning everything.. I want to get the credit. It’s a poisonous thought for me to let in my head, because it contradicts what I tell the kids day in and day out. Christ should be glorified in all that we do. It’s a constant struggle to make myself less so that He can be made greater.
Thanks for this post. It definitely got me thinking.
I think that is one of the hardest things when it comes to helping out in a church. You want credit for what you have done. You feel that you deserve it. But at the end of the day, God is sovereign and it’s all in his hands. The important thing is that you are there, fulfilling a calling for you life. Keep it up!
Love this post. I just might print this out and put it beside my bed as a reminder (hopefully that’s not too creepy…) Too many times I’ve sat at home and cried because I thought I wasn’t noticed. I thought I was crying because I was frustrated no one else was helping. But I was really crying because I wanted more attention. But looking back now, I see even my “deeds” were more for the benefit of my reputation then to expand God’s kingdom.
ps: Found your blog through Stuff Christians Like, and have been reading daily. Keep up the good work!
It would only be creep if you printed off my picture from the about me page and hung that beside your bed. And even then, I would feel a little flattered. Anyway, don’t worry, I’m sure someone is noticing and you are making a difference to someone, even if you don’t know it.