We live in a society that has forgotten the importance of the individual. Consequently, we may feel like just another face in the crowd, a number on a list, or even irrelevant. We may think that we can’t make a difference. But we can!
I picture society like a king-size bedspread. If a thread were removed, it wouldn’t be noticeable when viewing the whole bedspread from a distance. But if you took a magnifying glass to the spot where the thread was missing, it would become more apparent. And if you looked at it with a microscope, there would be a gaping hole. So it is with our lives. From a distance looking at the whole scene of society, we may not realize our importance. But closer examination reveals the necessity of our presence. And the closest scrutiny shows what our absence would really mean.
We don’t live our lives according to some vague script written by a thoughtless society. The story of our lives is uniquely scripted for us as individuals. The characters in our life’s story are real people with real-life situations, just like us. All of us live our lives on a personal level with our own experiences and our own contributions. It is in this personal environment that we have the opportunities to utilize our distinct talents, to make our special contributions, and to demonstrate our importance. We are not merely actors on a stage for the audience of society.
We start life in the embrace of our family. It is in this particular environment that we learn the basics of how to live life. It is where we build the foundation of our character and begin to recognize our worth. It is our family who first influences our decisions and our behavior. Family ties make us important.
As we grow up, we reach out to include others in our lives. For instance, we make friends. These “outsiders” provide companionship and support when we’re away from the comfort of our family environment. Friends offer new perspectives and additional experiences that further influence our decisions and behavior. It is in this environment that we encounter new dimensions in our relationships. It is where we find more people to care for and who care for us. Our importance expands.
And somewhere in the midst of living our lives, we might get saved. If we do, we become part of a greater, yet still individual story. We become part of a bigger family – the family of God. And it is the truth of God’s Word that begins to govern our decisions and behavior. It is in this environment that the greatest love is shared, and the most forgiveness is felt. It is where friends become family and family becomes closer. In this environment, our importance expands exponentially.
You see, what society thinks doesn’t really matter, because our importance is derived from those who think we’re important. I will explain. In the natural family bond for example, children are important to their parents and parents are important to their children. It’s axiomatic and reciprocal. How important is your child to you? By answering that question, you have not only determined your child’s importance, but have also defined your own. And, as a child knowing that you are so important to your parents, how do you feel about yourself? Important, right? Think about friendships, are your friends important to you? By making your friends important to you, you have also made yourself important to them. And as children in God’s family, we are infinitely important to God. Consider what that says about our own importance…
Living in these personal environments of our lives, doesn’t need to limit our sphere of influence. As individuals, we can effect change on a broad scale when we are fully committed to our cause. We as individuals can touch someone’s life – we can teach them, help them, bless them, love them. Then that individual does the same for someone else, who does the same for another, and so on. Then before we know it, change happens.
Never underestimate how important you are and how much your life means to your family, to your friends and to God. I think this poem says it best. YOU make a difference!
One Man Awake
One man awake awakens another,
The second awakens his next door neighbor,
And three awake can rouse the town,
And turn the whole place upside down.
And many awake can raise such a fuss,
That it finally awakens the rest of us.
One man up with dawn in his eyes – multiplies.
By Helen Kromer
Note to my readers: You are important to me! I am thankful for each and every one of you and I pray for you. I hope this journey is as enjoyable for you as it is for me. I have decided not to go “public” with my blog. I don’t want my page to become cluttered with a million ads (not much fresh air in that!) and I want to continue to write on a personal level, which may not appeal to the masses anyway. So, if you know someone that you think would like to visit with me each week, please spread the word. ( terrileewritings.com )
Many thanks!