It's Only Me

It’s Only Me

“I will praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”
Psalm 139:14

We’ve probably all heard the door opening, the questions about who is there, followed by the common response “It’s only me”. And while it might be a reassurance that no one is breaking into the home, I have come to not like, to really not like, that phrase. The reason is quite simple, there are no “onlys” with God; every person the Lord created matters. There are no “it’s only Joe”, “it’s only Kathy”; there are no it’s only anyone; we all matter and we are all needed.

Leo Buscaglia tells a great story about a young girl who does a heroic deed and has a good fairy offer to grant her any wish as a reward. The young girl simply says that she “wants to be happy” after which the good fairy whispers something in her ear and disappears. The story relates that for the rest of her life no one was happier than this girl. When asked about the secret of her happiness, she would always smile and reply, “I listened to the good fairy.” As she grew old, friends begged her to tell them what the good fairy had whispered to her. Finally, one day, she smiled and relented saying “She told me that everyone, no matter how secure they seemed, had need of me.”

In Washington last week, the streets seemed to be a mind boggling collection of roads going in every possible direction and seemingly impossible to navigate. But from the top of the Washington monument, looking down on the city, everything made sense and seemed perfectly laid out. The only difference was perspective. In the same way, convincing people that they matter is at times a real battle. Circumstances send a confusing signal; relationships can seem superficial and disposable; and other people seem to be doing and accomplishing so much more with their lives. But from God’s perspective, our lives are part of a much larger plan and are linked to what God is doing on the earth in establishing His kingdom. Ed Gungor wrote “Because our everyday actions are linked to the Christ story, our lives matter. We each have the opportunity to influence others by participating in everyday life with the eyes of faith.”

If the God who created the Milky Way Galaxy thought it important enough to create you, your life matters. Other people, some you know and some you don’t, need you to be you. No matter what you have been gifted to do, your relationship to the Lord opens the door for you to make a difference in this world. And because of that, please do me a favor; never say “it’s only me.” As I said earlier, there are no “onlys” in God’s eyes, there should be none in our eyes, and there definitely are none in the mirrors we look into every morning!

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church