‘I’ Matters

 

Do I matter?

“Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”
— James 4:14

“…And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
— Luke 12:19–21

Recently I’ve become more aware of my own temporariness. Like you, one day I will lay my head to one side, breathe my last, and all the cares of this world will be gone as I step into eternity. I don’t know the time or the place—but I do know the day will come.

Reflecting on this, I considered how billions of lives have already come and gone. How many are remembered? My father passed away in 1977. In 2025, how often is his name spoken? Occasionally by family, perhaps—but mostly his “mist” has evaporated. For nearly all of us, outside of a few heavy-hitters, authors, or leaders, our names fade quickly. We “come and go.”

Then, I was looking at a world map I keep on my wall to remind me to pray, I thought about this planet of 8 billion+ people.

My thoughts swung wildly—

• From: Lord, give me a global platform. You can do all things. Let me reach the nations! I can matter much!
• To: Who am I but a speck among 8 billion? I might think much of me, but I’m not much! I don’t matter much at all!
• To: You, Lord, created me. Right now, right here, with the people around me—I matter. How I live, love, speak, pray, and act matters to them. You have me here “for such a time as this,” just as You had Esther in her moment.

“From one man He made all the people of the world. Now they live all over the earth. He decided exactly when they should live. And He decided exactly where they should live.”
— Acts 17:26

So, rather than being defeated by the smallness of “me,” I’m inspired, I’m encouraged. God is sovereign. He created me for His purposes. We are His assigned lights, His agents to honor Him and influence others.

Q What is the chief end of man?
A. Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever

Right where we are. Right when we are. With those around us.

My ‘I’ does matter

TG paraphrase of Matt 16:

“What do people think about this whole God thing?   And they said,

• “Some say, hogwash, I don’t buy it, it’s a crutch.”
• others, “believe what you want, everyone has their own truth” “ ,
• others say “ Jesus was a good guy, we need more like him” and
• others say “(fill in the blank)”
• and still others that “He actually Is who He Is, right here, right now and forevermore”

then  Jesus  said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” ¹⁶ Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Matthew 16:13-16

That same question is asked of us. It’s not what ‘they’ say or what ‘we’ say that ultimately matters. It’s what I say. My “I” matters for all eternity.

We are prone to groupthink—to parroting sides, slogans, and systems. But eternity is not decided by group votes. It is decided by personal belief.

‘We’ or ‘they’ do not equate to  ‘I’.

Do I believe in the thought of God, the existence of God, or the God described secondhand by others? Or do I believe in God Himself—and treat Him as such?

“And Jesus said to him, ‘If you can! All things are possible for one who believes.’ Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, ‘I believe; help my unbelief!’”
— Mark 9:23–24

I remain here to help you in your belief.

We have to go to know. I’ve gone—and I do know.

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