I Matter

By Paula Williamson guest writer

What I Do Matters

Have you ever heard the story about the man who got up every morning, collected the starfish that had washed up on the shore, and threw them back into the water? Someone asked him why he thought he was making any difference because there were so many. He picked one up, threw it back into the water, and said, “It made a difference to that one.”

I have heard countless stories in my life where the smallest things we do matter. Like a woman who told God she was going to commit suicide unless someone turned a cartwheel to show her, He was real. The woman whom God told to turn the cartwheel struggled and doubted it was really God telling her to do such a silly thing on a busy road. She stopped her car and did a cartwheel and wondered–now what. A car stopped. A woman in tears got out. The cartwheel had been the answer to a desperate prayer.

You can bet your life on the fact that what you do—and don’t do—matters, not only to yourself and others, but to God.

It is written:

LUKE 1:26-29 God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, ²⁷ to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.²⁸ The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” ²⁹ Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. ³⁰ But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. ³¹ You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. ³² He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, ³³ and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

Everything Matters

When an angel appeared to the virgin Mary, she had every reason to doubt. In that moment, she chose to believe that what she did mattered. Her decision is still impacting the entire world today.

Prayer

Lord, help me to realize that what I do—or don’t do—matters today. Even if it matters to a starfish, every life I meet and everything I do matters. Help me keep my ears and heart open to what I can do for You today.

Takeaway

I matter—and everyone matters.