Have you ever wandered if your life mattered? Have you ever sat awake at night scouring your past and your future looking for any sign of your purpose or what your impact on this world might be? Do you respond to Mark Zuckerberg’s generous offer of giving 99% of his Facebook stocks to invest into a better world for kids by wishing that you had money or resources to do the same? Do you consider the outrageous attack in San Bernardino and wander if living a life that matters is even possible in this new era?
Can an average person ever live a life that matters? Do we have to be the best at something to make a difference? Do we have to come up with a cure for cancer or find a way to eliminate terrorism in the world to live a life that matters? Does living a life that matters have to be about doing something big that millions of people are affected by? Is there any use trying to live a life that matters when it seems like very few people ever achieve it.
I believe that we are each offered to live a life that matters. I believe that in each of us lies the imprint of value and influence. I believe that many of us struggle to believe that and even more fall short in living it out. I believe most of us will never achieve a life that matters not because of lack of resources or opportunity, but simply because we have become misguided in what a life that matters begins and ends with.
I believe that a life that matters is a life that impacts what matters most to God, the thing that He created that He valued the most. When God created everything in the universe, He finished and then He made one more thing: a creature in His own image. When He completed that intricate, complicated creation, He gave to it the authority to rule over all of the rest of creation. God created mankind as the thing that matters the most to Him. Do you believe that? Are you living like you believe it?
I am reading an incredible book by John Maxwell called “Intentional Living” where he does an incredible job outlining a strategy in how to live an intentional life. One of the many insights he gives about living an intentional life is that he encourages people to everyday ask where they can add value to people. He encourages the reader to take the focus off of themselves as they go through the day and look where they can add value to people – from a handshake, to an encouragement, to a job offer, to a practical solution to an actual problem, etc… The point isn’t what you do for them, but instead in what you make them feel.
Mankind was designed from a high value and I believe it operates best when highly valued, not from the outside (people, titles, awards, recognition) but from the inside. When people believe that they have a high value they live a life that matters and are more apt to impact people. Our current culture drains value from mankind each day, pictures of perfect body image, demands of performance at school or work, images of the new phone, tablet, or computer, new cars, better spring break trips, and it goes on and on. Most of us don’t even realize that we live in a culture where our inner value is being siphoned out on a regular basis, Even fewer of us are intentional on pouring value back into the people around us. Look through your day, where do you add value to people — meaning where do you encourage people, remind them of how good they are, of how unique they are, how much they matter.
When I get to do smaller trips with student ministries (30 people and less) I love to end the trip with a time where we put a person in the middle of a circle and then have everyone tell that person what they appreciate about them. I have experienced many holy moments in those times where young teenagers go from closed off, self protective, insecure people to confident, valued, and unleashed life changers. The people that I love seeing the most in those times are the adults in the circle. When we have finished encouraging students, it is inevitable that a student will say, what about the adults, can we encourage them too? Within seconds every adult in the room gets the “Oh Crud” look on their face and then over the coming minutes as student after student adds value to the adults in the room I see transformation happen from the inside out as adults are reminded of who they are, what they were made to be, and that their life matters, not because of what they have accomplished, but because they have spent a week, month, season investing and adding value into what matters most to God.
A life that matters I believe will always begin and end with adding value to people. If you are struggling to believe your life matters, invest in someone today to add value to them. If you need reminded that your life matters, reflect on who has added value to your life and take time to thank them or simply add value back to them by a text, email, phone call.
We all have a choice on whether our life matters or not. Live a life that adds value to the people around you.