I realized that I often default to numbers and statistics as a way to gauge how effective an effort is. How many followers? How many likes? How many reposts? I was humbled, recently, in having this method of measurement crushed by one person's sharing of how my effort impacted them.
"You have blessed me. Thank you for touching my life."One life touched. That one life matters! Enough that something I said or did helped encourage them and bring light. How can I deny the effectiveness of that? I have been that one life that resulted from another person's obedience to doing what God prompted them to do. No number or statistic can take away the importance of that, to me!
So many that God has called throughout time never lived to see the results their calling and ministry made. Even Isaiah, when he received his call, was told no one would listen! (Isaiah 6:9-10) The measure of worth our efforts make in this life are sometimes stored as treasures in heaven. And often, we don't see the full impact following God's calling on our life has made.
Taking this a step further, Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawk's quarterback, said in an interview that when he goes out on the field, he plays "for an audience of One." Despite the thousands of incredibly loud fans, and a coach and team that depend on him for excellence, he still plays for One - the only One that matters.
I'm no athlete, but applying this to the things God has lead me to do, I realized I can't be outwardly motivated and gauge success by outward indicators. I do what I do for an audience of One. And He will do with it what needs to be done.
The vision of Disciple Us may not have come to fruition in the way I dreamed it, but it doesn't make it any less important to the One who put it on my heart to do. And so, for Him, I keep learning and sharing, then let Him do the rest.
I accepted Jesus Christ at the age of 14, but I really had no concept of what following Him looked like. By the time I went to college, my family had abandoned going to church and I really saw no need to attend church when I accepted Jesus completely outside of that context. But God intervened my freshman year of college. A couple of new friends invited me to a bible study in the dorm that was part of a freshman outreach run by the college ministry of a local church. I went to the bible study and then to the church and God changed my life, despite the outreach fizzling out by the beginning of winter quarter. I had found a church home and was able to join another bible study. Several years later, the intern that ran the freshman outreach become the pastor for the college ministry. I had the opportunity to tell him how God used that brief freshman outreach to change my life and set me on the path towards truly following God as well as how God was able to lay a foundation in my life that would keep me on that path even when their were seasons of my life when I stumbled pretty badly. Until I had told him this, he thought that freshman outreach he ran as an intern had been ineffective especially since it didn't endure. Your blog reminded me of that that. I hope you continue to be encouraged and shine God's light whatever happens in your ministry.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing that Leah! <3 So awesome!
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