What Am I Good for?

Ever feel like you’re not making a difference in people’s lives? Have you asked yourself the question “What am I good for?”

You’re not alone.

In her Pulitzer Prize winning novel, Gilead, author Marilynne Robinson has her main character, John Ames, reminisce about his life as a pastor:

"My father always preached from notes, and I wrote my sermons out word for word...I've never gone back to them to see if they are worth anything, if I actually said anything. Pretty much my whole life's work is in those boxes, which is an amazing thing to reflect on."

Ames wistfully wonders if all his words, all his effort, have made any difference.

I suspect many of us feel that way too.

Maybe there’s a teenager in your life who is tone deaf to instruction, and you’re beside yourself about what to do next. Your prayers for an unsaved friend or relative seemingly go unanswered. Despite your best efforts, your marriage disintegrates before your eyes.

Hebrews 6:10 reminds us that God doesn’t forget the love we show to others, because it demonstrates our love for God:

“God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.”

New Testament scholar F. F. Bruce wrote this in his commentary on Hebrews 6:10:

“The point here, however, is that deeds of kindness done to the people of God are reckoned by God as done to Himself and will surely receive their reward from Him.”

The author of this letter to the Hebrews saw something kind and loving in these recipients that he took notice despite their doctrinal shortcomings.

I contend we live in a culture, even a Christian culture, that overvalues the Next Big Thing: an event, a dynamic speaker, a highly publicized sound bite.

But life is an accumulation of the undervalued Little Things: a kind word spoken in secret, an act of non-retaliation when every fiber of our being wants to lash out, a financial gift given in anonymity.

When I was a young Christian, I attended a weekend student conference where our dorm team was assigned kitchen duty. It meant we would miss much of the conference helping prepare and serve food and do the cleanup afterward.

While our team was washing dishes on Saturday night, our campus staff leader entered the kitchen, grabbed an apron, and said, “You guys go to the meeting. I’ll finish up here in the kitchen”.

I’ll never forget that moment. That leader didn’t have to do what he did. But he did. It was a Little Thing that became a Big Thing.

God doesn’t forget those things we do for him. Even when we don’t believe we’re doing any good.

When we doubt the efficacy of our words and actions, remember God doesn’t. He sees our hearts and rewards accordingly.