“Come and see the works of God: he is terrible in his doing toward the children of men.” — Psalm 66:5 (KJV)
I’ve been thinking about something lately. In fact, I wrote this blog – for the most part – while I was driving my car and speaking out loud to my notes app. (You never know when God is going to speak or inspire you…be prepared! LOL)
Over the years, I’ve worked with people both in and out of ministry who really enjoy being recognized. I don’t just mean someone remembering their name, I mean they genuinely thrive on the attention that comes with being known. They love walking through the grocery store or being out in public and having someone stop them because they know who they are.
Okay, let’s be real. Who doesn’t enjoy being remembered? It’s nice to know we’ve made an impression on someone. There’s nothing necessarily wrong with that.
I’ve lived a pretty public life for most of my adult years. Between raising five kids, working in education, being involved in church and ministry, and spending years working with people in our community, I’ve crossed paths with a LOT of people. I’ve had people recognize me as one of my kids’ moms, as a former teacher, from church, or simply because they’ve seen me around town or on social media.
And I enjoy those conversations! Sometimes….I even remember exactly who they are. Other times… well, let’s just say I do a lot of smiling while I’m frantically searching through my brain to place a name with the face. LOL (side note, if you are with me and I do not introduce you to someone who comes up to me, it is because I have forgotten their name!)
But do you know what some of my absolute favorite moments of being recognized have been? The ones that really have nothing to do with me. Let me explain.
Not long ago, someone who is now in their thirties reached out to me. I had taught them in church when they were around twelve or thirteen years old. During one of those lessons I had encouraged them to keep a prayer journal. We discussed writing down your prayers and put a date by it. When God answers that prayer, go back and put a check by it. It is a GREAT way to see God work in our life.
And they did it!!
All these years later, they reached out because God had answered a prayer they had written down as a child. Think about that for a minute.
A prayer written down in a notebook more than twenty years ago. A young person who kept that prayer. Years of living, growing, waiting, and probably wondering. And then one day, they were able to look back and recognize that God had answered. I LOVE THAT!!! Not because they remembered something I taught them. But because they had witnessed the faithfulness of God in their own life.
I’ve had other people reach out because they remembered a Bible lesson I taught about listening for God’s prompting. They shared how they had acted on something they believed the Lord was leading them to do, and then told me what happened afterward.
And then there are people I barely know who will come up to me and tell me they remembered the way I treated their child during a difficult season. A child who may have been struggling, acting out, or wasn’t particularly easy to love at that moment.
Those conversations have stayed with me. Not because someone remembered my name. But because somewhere along the way, God allowed me to be a small part of something He was doing in someone else’s life. And that means far more to me than being recognized in a grocery store.
Are We Making a Name for Ourselves or Making His Name Known?
I think we live in a world that places a huge amount of value on being known. I mean, have you seen social media? It’s crazy!
Followers. Likes. Recognition. Titles. Positions. Influence. Success.
And unfortunately, that desire for recognition can creep into ministry, too. We can become so focused on how many people attend, how many people listen, how many people compliment us, or whether anyone notices what we’re doing that we lose sight of why we started in the first place.
Now, don’t misunderstand me. There’s nothing wrong with being appreciated. We all need encouragement from time to time – and I think it’s super important to thank people who faithfully serve. But there’s a difference between being grateful for encouragement and needing recognition to feel that what we’re doing matters.
And I think that’s something worth examining in our own hearts.
In John 3, we read about John the Baptist, his ministry, his faithfulness…but then Jesus came.
“He must increase, but I must decrease.” — John 3:30
John knew his purpose was never to build a following for himself. His purpose was to point people to Jesus. And when people began following Jesus, John wasn’t mad, disappointed, or jealous. That was the whole point.
This is the attitude we should strive for!! What if we stopped measuring our impact by how many people know our names and started thinking about how many people we point toward Christ? What if we can be perfectly content to plant a seed that someone else will eventually water? What if we never receive recognition for something we do, but God uses it to change someone’s life? Would that be enough?
Sometimes We Never Get to See What God Does With the Seeds
I think about that prayer journal again. When I encouraged a young person to write down their prayers all those years ago, I certainly wasn’t thinking about what might happen twenty years later. I was simply teaching a lesson. But God was doing something much bigger. And I think that’s one of the most awesome things about serving Him.
We don’t always know what He’s doing through us.
Sometimes we get to see the results. Sometimes we don’t. Maybe you’re a mom who has spent years praying for a child who has wandered away from the Lord. Maybe you’re a grandma who faithfully shares Bible stories and verses with her grandkids and wonders whether they’re really listening. Maybe you’ve taught Sunday school, encouraged a struggling friend, prayed with someone, or showed kindness to a person who was having a particularly difficult day (remind me to tell you about the lady who hit my car in the FM parking lot!). And maybe you’ve wondered whether any of it mattered.
I love what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3:6:
“I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.” Our responsibility is to be faithful with the opportunities God gives us. We plant. We water. We encourage. We love. We pray. We teach.
But God is the One who brings the growth.
And sometimes the seeds we plant today won’t produce visible fruit for years. Sometimes someone else will have the privilege of seeing that fruit. And sometimes we may never know this side of heaven what God did with one small act of obedience. But that doesn’t make it any less important. God’s timing doesn’t always look like ours. And just because we don’t see what He’s doing doesn’t mean He isn’t doing anything.
Come and See What GOD Has Done!
There’s a verse in Psalms that I absolutely love, in fact I used this thought to teach a bible lesson tonight! “Come and see the works of God: he is terrible in his doing toward the children of men.” — Psalm 66:5
I love the beginning of that verse. Come and see the works of God. Not come and see what I’ve accomplished. Not come and see how successful I’ve become. Not come and see how many people know who I am. Come and see what GOD has done!
That’s what I want my life to point toward.
I don’t want someone to walk away from a conversation with me simply thinking I had something wonderful to say. I want them to walk away thinking about something God said.
I don’t want someone to remember a Bible lesson because I was a particularly good teacher. I want them to remember the truth of God’s Word and allow it to change how they live.
And if someone remembers that I showed them kindness or love during a difficult season, I hope that kindness points them toward the love of Christ.
Because the truth is, anything good that God has accomplished through my life has been possible because of Him. He opened the doors. He gave the opportunities. He provided the strength, the wisdom, and the grace. And I have totally made plenty of mistakes along the way! Which makes it all the more amazing that He chooses to use an imperfect person like me.
What Will People Remember?
The older I get, the more I think about the things that really matter. I’ve had different roles and responsibilities throughout my life. I’ve been a wife, a mother, a teacher, a ministry leader, a businesswoman, and now a grandmother. And like most people, I’ve had seasons when I felt successful and seasons when I wondered whether I was getting anything right at all.
But when I think about what I hope to leave behind, it’s not a list of accomplishments. It isn’t a title. And it certainly isn’t how many people recognize me when I’m out shopping. I hope my children and grandchildren remember that I loved the Lord and tried to live what I believed. I hope someone remembers a prayer we prayed together. I hope someone remembers a Bible verse I shared when they needed encouragement. I hope someone remembers I was kind to them when they were a little difficult to love. And I hope that somewhere along the way, someone comes to know Jesus a little better because our paths crossed.
Sometimes the greatest impact we’ll ever have on someone’s life will come from something we don’t even remember doing.
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