Everywhere we turn we are faced with the same advice. “All you need to do is (insert the latest social media fad) and you’ll grow your followers.” or “Do x and you’ll become a millionaire!” It can be a constant barrage of exhausting messages, all focused on increasing your influence and impacting the lives of those around you. It’s the mindset that you have the potential to make a difference in this world, but to do so, you need to have enough followers to make your voice valid.
Maybe you’ve put yourself out there in life, trying to make opportunities happen, yet they don’t seem to be going anywhere. Perhaps you’ve been working tirelessly, claiming it is all for the glory of God, but not seeing any of the fruit. What then?
Well, when we’re feeling this way or experiencing this frustration, I think we need to return to the basics. What is Jesus’ greatest commandment? “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind…and love your neighbour as yourself.” Matthew 22:37-39. If we keep our eyes on God and live our lives focused on the right thing, it’s clear that we live with an audience of one.
A life lived with an audience of ONE reminds us that it is all for HIS glory and not ours.
God’s is the only opinion we should really care about. He wants our heart first and foremost.
God has placed each of us in our corner of the globe, in this point of history, with our current network of families, peers, neighbours, colleagues and friends, so that through us, He can be glorified. In loving God, we build our relationship with Him, He fills us up with His love, which then overflows out of us and into the lives that He has put within our sphere of influence.
No matter how many people you think are influenced by you, whether that number is enormous or teeny tiny, be thankful for it. God doesn’t want cookie cutter Christians. He made us all unique and that includes who is listening to us, or watching our lives. Whether you’re a CEO of a multinational corporation, or you mow local lawns, it doesn’t matter. God has put you in that role for a reason, so be grateful and speak truth in the lives around you.
Remember the saints who have gone before us, and are listed in Hebrews 11? Don’t forget verse 13 that says “All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance.” They knew that they were in the world, but not of the world. They had a larger vision of their God than we sometimes have today. We need to enlarge our hearts, enlarge our minds and know that God can do miraculous things in people’s lives through us. It’s up to Him just how many people He does that for.
There’s an old story that goes like this. There’s a man who walks along a starfish infested beachside every single day. He notices that there is an enormous need to rescue the starfish, yet there are millions of them and the job would be too large for one person alone. So every day he picks up just one and throws it back into the ocean. A man passing by stopped him and asked him why he was doing it, when it ultimately wouldn’t make any difference. His response was this, “It matters to that one.” You never know when you will say something, write something, or do something that God will use for His glory. So, stay connected to Him and He will lead you and guide you to your next step.
I want to encourage you to be bold wherever you are, step out in faith and trust that God has a plan for your life, no matter who is watching. He is the one who put you here, so He will be the one to equip you for His work.
BB
