Prominence vs. Significance: Does God use small things to change the world?
by Tyler Zach
We live in a culture that is saturated with desires for prominence. Little boys dream of being the next NBA basketball player. College communication majors want to be the next big TV reporter for CNN. The star choirgirl wants to be the next American Idol. And the list goes on.
Prominence, as defined by Webster, is something that stands out or projects beyond a surface or line. It could also mean something that is widely or popularly known.
Our culture, which is rich in media, has made it easy for us to see prominent people in our little box 24 hours a day. The smartest, the wealthiest, the best looking, and the most influential people always seem to have priority in the media.
When I see these people, I can’t help but envy the type of influence they have with people. Even in the most innocent way, I pray that God would expand my influence more and more each day. I want to be a prominent Christian so that I can make Christ prominent in peoples’ lives.
But after reading a chapter on this topic in a book called “Religiously Transmitted Diseases”, my outlook has totally changed. I realize that I have smelled, inhaled, and breathed the all-to-common aroma of prominence. Each day, I have been thinking that in order for me to have significance in this life, I must be prominent. That if I want to make my life count, I should strive to do big things that leave a big influence. I need to be a big vision man!
I’ve been missing out however on this simple truth: God often times uses the small things to change the world. Let me give you the most practical example I know of.
Meet Shelly. She lives on a farm here in the Midwest. Shelly has a great godly husband and three kids. She met my mom one day at a home basket-selling party. After a small prompting of the Holy Spirit, she decided to invite my mom to her bible study. Eventually, my mom caved and went. Then she brought my dad. Then my parents started to seek God passionately. Then I started to seek God passionately. Then I decided to give my life to full-time ministry. Now many of the college students I work with are experiencing and following God. And these students are not only sharing their faith with students on their campus, but they are traveling around the world to places like Europe, East Asia, Central America, just to name a few. God is fulfilling Kingdom purposes all over the world because of one small invitation that can be traced back to a basket party fourteen years ago. I’m not even sure if Shelly remembers all of this. Currently, she is working hard on her book selling company which has been doing very well over the past decade.
Shelly may honestly be desiring and praying that God would continue to expand the influence of her business – just like I’m praying that God would expand my influence on the college campus. BUT, what if that one small invitation that she gave to my mom years ago was the most significant thing she ever did? What if she hadn’t listened to God and responded in obedience? I know that my life would be very different, not to mention hundreds of others.
What if every Christian decided to chase the next big vision and the coolest new dream? Who would have time to share God with their neighbor? Who would have time to take a friend out to eat and listen to their needs and connect them with the living God?
In my small group after the service last Sunday I was trying to figure out ways for our church to serve the city. I’ve been thinking a lot about that lately. And then one of my friends said, “Why don’t we just write a letter of encouragement to ____ who is hurting from cancer?” I acknowledged the thought as a good one, but then went back to thinking about my next big vision. The cycle continues.
My friend’s suggestion eventually comes back to me. Mmm. Maybe our encouragement note could change the hurting man’s heart? Maybe it will touch his family’s heart? Maybe it could change his family’s friends’ hearts? Maybe it could change the world? I realize now that it can. It will.
Could it be that significance is not proportional to prominence? Perhaps most prominent things are not significant. All in all, I think it is a both/and. I still have my eyes on big visions and dreams. But, I am praying that God would prepare and excite my heart for the small things.
Jesus accomplished the biggest vision the world has ever seen – dying to save the whole human race. But he didn’t forget to heal thousands of people along the way.
We live in a culture that is saturated with desires for prominence. Little boys dream of being the next NBA basketball player. College communication majors want to be the next big TV reporter for CNN. The star choirgirl wants to be the next American Idol. And the list goes on.
Prominence, as defined by Webster, is something that stands out or projects beyond a surface or line. It could also mean something that is widely or popularly known.
Our culture, which is rich in media, has made it easy for us to see prominent people in our little box 24 hours a day. The smartest, the wealthiest, the best looking, and the most influential people always seem to have priority in the media.
When I see these people, I can’t help but envy the type of influence they have with people. Even in the most innocent way, I pray that God would expand my influence more and more each day. I want to be a prominent Christian so that I can make Christ prominent in peoples’ lives.
But after reading a chapter on this topic in a book called “Religiously Transmitted Diseases”, my outlook has totally changed. I realize that I have smelled, inhaled, and breathed the all-to-common aroma of prominence. Each day, I have been thinking that in order for me to have significance in this life, I must be prominent. That if I want to make my life count, I should strive to do big things that leave a big influence. I need to be a big vision man!
I’ve been missing out however on this simple truth: God often times uses the small things to change the world. Let me give you the most practical example I know of.
Meet Shelly. She lives on a farm here in the Midwest. Shelly has a great godly husband and three kids. She met my mom one day at a home basket-selling party. After a small prompting of the Holy Spirit, she decided to invite my mom to her bible study. Eventually, my mom caved and went. Then she brought my dad. Then my parents started to seek God passionately. Then I started to seek God passionately. Then I decided to give my life to full-time ministry. Now many of the college students I work with are experiencing and following God. And these students are not only sharing their faith with students on their campus, but they are traveling around the world to places like Europe, East Asia, Central America, just to name a few. God is fulfilling Kingdom purposes all over the world because of one small invitation that can be traced back to a basket party fourteen years ago. I’m not even sure if Shelly remembers all of this. Currently, she is working hard on her book selling company which has been doing very well over the past decade.
Shelly may honestly be desiring and praying that God would continue to expand the influence of her business – just like I’m praying that God would expand my influence on the college campus. BUT, what if that one small invitation that she gave to my mom years ago was the most significant thing she ever did? What if she hadn’t listened to God and responded in obedience? I know that my life would be very different, not to mention hundreds of others.
What if every Christian decided to chase the next big vision and the coolest new dream? Who would have time to share God with their neighbor? Who would have time to take a friend out to eat and listen to their needs and connect them with the living God?
In my small group after the service last Sunday I was trying to figure out ways for our church to serve the city. I’ve been thinking a lot about that lately. And then one of my friends said, “Why don’t we just write a letter of encouragement to ____ who is hurting from cancer?” I acknowledged the thought as a good one, but then went back to thinking about my next big vision. The cycle continues.
My friend’s suggestion eventually comes back to me. Mmm. Maybe our encouragement note could change the hurting man’s heart? Maybe it will touch his family’s heart? Maybe it could change his family’s friends’ hearts? Maybe it could change the world? I realize now that it can. It will.
Could it be that significance is not proportional to prominence? Perhaps most prominent things are not significant. All in all, I think it is a both/and. I still have my eyes on big visions and dreams. But, I am praying that God would prepare and excite my heart for the small things.
Jesus accomplished the biggest vision the world has ever seen – dying to save the whole human race. But he didn’t forget to heal thousands of people along the way.
posted by Tyler Zach at 6:46 PM
1 comments
