Significance

I can't believe I entirely missed writing a blog last week. And I am a day late this week! Needless to say it has been extremely busy around here. I currently have 10 contracts pending and am working with several buyers and a few new listings. Plus it is the end of the school year for Jonas and, thus, there are all kinds of events at his school. Plus we are planning the summer for the college ministry. Plus I am helping them head up a class at church. Plus, plus, plus!!

I am going to take a break from my series on pop culture Christian lies and look today at something I have been tuning into lately.

Almost all of us have a tendency to forget our place in the world. Since we live inside ourselves, we are each, by default the most important person in our own world. I have seen more and more people that lose sight of the bigger picture. I don't know if there truly are more people with a very, very small world view or if I am growing my world view to the point where I notice everyone else's more. Hard to say. Could be both, I suppose. The point is this, I am insignificant. You are insignificant. At the same time, you and I are both extremely significant. It is an odd but true dichotomy.

I have really started seeing this on a very small level. You go to a restaurant and raise cain because someone forgot to bring you some bread. Perhaps they forgot because the kitchen messed up someone else's order and they were busy figuring out how to help. You are driving and you honk at someone at a red light because they are turned around messing with a kid in the back seat. Is your extra 30 seconds really worth them ignoring the kid that just dropped its drink and is screaming? You go to Kroger and the checkout person isn't the most friendly person you've ever met. Is it worth telling the manager that the person was unfriendly? Did you know that person has a grandparent on hospice right now and they were at the bedside until 3 AM?

See what I mean, we forget, no ignore, the fact that everyone else is significant, exists outside of our little world and has their own set of issues. We demand service or some kind of attention like it is our right. We forget that, really, we are insignificant and, really, that small piece of bad service is highly insignificant. Thus we are all significant and insignificant at the same time.

My goal, upon realizing this and tuning into it, is to be a catalyst for good. Instead of getting upset at the unfriendly checker-outer, be kind to them. My goal is to be as jovial and kind as possible to the people that everyone else dumps on. I want to try to make them feel significant and appreciated instead of feel like a servant. I want to serve them so they can better serve others. That is significant. That will help the world.

I don't know that I did a good job explaining my views on how individual people are significant and simultaneously insignificant. Why don't you try? First, do you agree? Second, how would you explain it?