Recently I was in Allendale County, South Carolina.  Statistically, it is the poorest county in the state. Unemployment is nearly fifty percent. Almost ninety percent of the county is dependent on government assistance for survival. For the most part only a prison, a lumber mill and seasonal hunting provide jobs. Its population is among the poorest of the poor.

It is easy to write these people off as being insignificant, but they are not. God created everyone of them for a reason, a purpose and a mission. There are no insignificant people in God’s eyes… and no favored ones either.

Job realized that, in the grand scheme of things, he was a “little” person. He was nothing. And yet, I have to imagine that, right on the heels of that realization came this one: But God Himself showed up to talk to ME! Job, this little “nothing,” called on the God who made the universe . . . and that great God heard him and came running.

God loves the “little” people. In fact, in His kingdom, there are no “little” people. Every single person is important in God’s eyes. Heaven is not built on a hierarchy. That’s why Jesus told the people in His day that even the sparrows—which they counted as meaningless and cheap—were important to God. And if the sparrows didn’t fail to escape His notice, how much more does He care about those who are made in His own image!

In the grand scheme of the universe, our planet is a speck. And that makes each one of us a speck on a speck. Yet our great God also became a speck on a speck so we would know that, to Him, we are not insignificant. We are not vile. We are infinitely valuable.

Yes we are and I stood on a street corner in that little poor town watching the homeless and the unemployed, the human in me wanted to be judgmental and I had some feeling of superiority.

But then the steeple bills of a nearby church began their everyday at five routine of playing a few minutes of hymns. On this day as I stood there, the bells tolled out “This is my Father’s world.”

This is my Father’s world. O let me ne’er forget That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet. This is my Father’s world: the battle is not done: Jesus Who died shall be satisfied, And earth and Heav’n be one. Yes, this is His world and there are no little people in it.  

Related:
What Does Your Soul Crave?

Many of us are passionately engaged on the road towards success, but if we were to be questioned as to whether or not we are living a life of significance, we may not have an immediate answer to that question. Living with significance takes much planning and purpose. We need to clearly understand our values and goals. This is something that can become lost in day-to-day living. However, it is not something that is unattainable.  Get on the track towards living a life of significance with this single-lesson online study.

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“Trust in Jehovah, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on his faithfulness” (Psalm 37:3).

Throughout the scriptures, we read that God pleaded for His people to “remember” Him and how He proved His faithfulness to them.  God, the Father, wanted His children, to remind themselves of how He proved Himself time and time again in their lives.

In his book A Room Called Remember, Friedrich Buechner describes remembering as “a searching and finding”.  Sometimes it takes a searching our past that we find examples of God’s faithfulness to us which brings hope and an assurance that God will continue to be loving and gracious in our lives.

God delights in showing Himself to us.  He truly takes pleasure in revealing His faithful acts towards His people.

There is so much significance in the aspect of remembering God’s faithfulness, which is vital, and key to growing and deepening our faith.  But, too often, we forget how God has provided for us in the past.   It is in remembering what He has already done for us that will draw us into trusting Him when things around us become dark and we become unaware of His presence in our lives.

One of the ways God would share with His people on how to remember His faithfulness, was in commanding them to set up memorials, literal structures and figures.  When the people would see them, they would be reminded of what God did which would cause them to rise up in hope and propel them forward with cc and boldness for their next task.   These memorials would serve as great visuals so that every time they looked at them, they reflected on God’s faithfulness and would be immediately brought into a place of rest in God knowing that as He provided He will continue to.

In my own personal life, I have set up “memorials” to remind myself of all that God has done in my life so that I will never forget His goodness towards me.  Some of these memorials are photos in frames, and others are objects I’ve bought at certain places that remind me of what God did specifically in that particular time of my life.  Remembering has brought me to a greater faith and expectant that God will come through.

Nurture yourself with the faithfulness of God.  His faithfulness is our food.  He is what we must feed ourselves upon daily.  Identify and meditate on the ways that God has been faithful to you and then share with others, and teach your children so that His good works would be remembered from generation to generation.

Heavenly Father, I thank you for your goodness and kindness towards me.  Help me to always remember how You have been faithful in my life.  I am so grateful that I can trust You, knowing that You are my hope and my portion,  my deliverer and strength.  I love you and will never forget that Your hand is upon my life and that you have ordained my very steps.

Questions: Are you at a place where you feel God does not care about your situation? What could you do to help you know that God does care ad that He is available? Can you remember a time when God performed a miracle for you?

About the Author Brigitte Straub

For more about Soul Cravings, explore the rest of our site!

For part two, please click here: Crave Meaning (Part 2)

Take action: Have you received bad news lately? Are you going through painful experiences? Take one of our Dealing with Hurts and Emotions interactive life lessons.

First Aid for Bruised Hearts: Talk to a Mentor. If you have a question about love, relationships, or marriage you’re not alone. Love, even when it’s wonderful, is complicated. We’d love to hear from you. Online mentoring is a private email conversation between you and a mentor. The conversation is free, confidential and non-judgmental. Contact an online mentor if you’d like to talk.

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Coming up next week: One of the topics of our upcoming online chats is “What Does It Mean to Have Faith?” Join us in the chat room October 26th 2009 @ 9:00pm EST for this chat or see also our full chat calendar for other upcoming topics.

Do you sometimes wonder if your life is making a difference? After all, it’s filled with routine activities. Nobody’s looking. Nobody’s clapping. Right?
When an audience is clapping, it’s easy to feel that one’s work has significance, but what happens when the stage is bare…the crowds are gone? The Gaithers, who for over four decades have brought heartfelt music to many large audiences continue the song, “when no one else is watching me, I need You more than words can say; tomorrow’s such a daily day…”

How do you serve the Lord when it’s such an ordinary day?

When my stage is bare, I remind myself that God is looking for faithfulness in “whatever my hand finds to do” (Ecclesiastes 9:10).

I want to do everything whole-heartedly as unto the Lord, whether it’s gardening, speaking with a neighbor over the fence, teaching a Sunday School class, knitting an afghan, entertaining company…I want to be faithful even when nobody is looking.

There is no such thing as insignificant work when it’s done for the Lord.

God is looking for faithful obedience in all of life.

Father, thank you that you are orchestrating my life. I want every day to be to your glory and for the benefit of others.

Question: Can you sanctify this day by doing “everything your hand finds to do” wholeheartedly as unto God?

About the Author Helen Grace Lescheid

Daily audio podcast: A second daily devotional, Choosing a Sanctified Life, today on the Men’s Devotional Blog