You are Important

Have you ever felt worthless, insignificant, or of little value.  It is a product of our environment and attacks many of us from time-to-time.

Years ago I learned a simple test to determine if people were listening.  I would stop talking in the middle of a thought or an idea.  If no one asked me to continue, I concluded that they were either not paying attention or they were glad I stopped.

The test worked pretty well and fostered my feelings of rejection.  I learned to shut my mouth more and more often.  Mistakenly, I concluded that no one was ever interested in anything I had to say.

I was wrong!  There are some who appreciate me and value my opinion; I share with them.  The challenge is when to stop talking.  Talk should be balanced with a lot of listening.

As a child, I learned the value of listening, especially to adults.

When her children and their families gathered at my grandmother’s house and the tales started, children listened.  The stories were entertaining; some were obvious exaggerations, a few were educational, but all were worth hearing.  From the most talented to the least, they all had something of value to share.

My grandmother never lived in a house with an indoor toilet.  She spoke Mississippi country and wrote like a sixth grader but she was as wise as King Solomon.  Ms Hattie’s wisdom grew rapidly when my grandfather passed away and left her with nine children.  It took another leap when Uncle Sam sent six of her boys half-way around the world to fight against other mother’s sons who were conscripted in Japan’s and Hitler’s misguided attempts to conquer the world.

She overcame through prayer, studying God’s Word, hearing sound doctrine, and applying it all in her life.  When she spoke, I listened.

Back to you and me, are we important?  Absolutely.  We, you and me, have gained an incredible amount of wisdom through our life experiences.  The longer we live the more resilient we become.   With every experience, we grow a little wiser and when we ask God for his help we grow even faster.

God tells us, “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.” (James 1:5 NLT)

There are so many who want and need to learn what we know.  Please share yourself; it is how God works through us.

I Pray God’s Blessings on You!

by Wayne Brady 8/4/2012