A few years ago, I myspaced a blog expanding on a quote I heard during a sermon by the great Pastor Charlie Martin, and for whatever reason that quote has come traipsing back into my brain over the past week or so. The quote came during his final sermon at Indian Rocks after decades of faithful service and ministry to the people there. At the time, a lot of people were a little weirded out by the fact that after 30-something years of listening and learning from Pastor Charlie, a new face would soon be taking his place. To many of the church-goers, Pastor Charlie was simply irreplaceable. And, to be fair, it likely would have been very easy for Pastor Charlie to feel that way as well; being in one place for that long would make anyone feel like the walls would come crashing down the second they left. But during his final sermon, he said something I haven't since forgotten. He said (loosely quoted) "If you ever want to know how important you are, get a big glass of water and stick your finger in it. You can leave it there for as long as you want, but when you take it out, check and see how big of a hole you left behind. That's how important and irreplaceable you are."
It's so easy to develop feelings of importance in life, especially in the area of service and ministry. We get involved in projects, lead various causes, and when we see great success, thoughts like "Man, how did this thing even survive before I got here?" start creeping in. The longer we are involved in these ministries, the more likely we are, whether consciously or not, to feel this way and project that attitude out to where others can pick up on it as well. This attitude, whether consciously harbored or not, firmly places the success of ministry into the hands of people who truthfully have little, if anything, to do with whether or not a certain endeavour succeeds. It's a prideful stance that can do more harm than good, and can seriously damage the way an outsider may view that ministry.
I can't begin to tell you how many times I have been in a place where I thought I was important, or thought that things couldn't go on without me. I have been sure that things would fall apart the second I left because I was no longer there to hold them together. I am sure this is a very human reaction, one that comes without much effort. Pride is an easy thing to fall victim to, often because you don't even recognize it for what it is. But, for me, all it took was one little quote, one "finger in the water", to open my eyes and see my pride for what it really was, and how it robbed credit from the only One who deserved it.
Once my eyes had been opened, I was able to see the beauty of life, the beauty of how God works through us. He doesn't need us to do His work for Him, not for one second. With one whisper, He could accomplish everything that every human has ever tried to do. We are privileged with every single moment that we have to be used by Him, and ought never to be prideful for what He chooses to accomplish through us. It's humbling, really, when you stop and consider that the Guy behind it all lets us get in on His plan, lets us participate in fulfilling His will, even if it's for just a short time. It's even more humbling when we stop and consider that the moment we leave or are called away, He has someone to step in and replace us.
It also emphasized to me how important it is to be who God wants you to be, and to be doing what He wants you to do while you are that "finger in the water", wherever you may be. None of us know when we will be called away to something else, or called away for good, and should make the most of every opportunity we have while in the water to faithfully do what He has called us to do. I know there have been numerous occasions where I have been in the water and made little or no impact on those around me, but I also know that any impact my life has on others in the place I am now is completely 100% reliant on God, and what He chooses to do through me. And finding yourself in a position where God chooses to work through you is a humbling one to say the least. The thing we can be sure of is that, as Christians, He wants to use all of us to further His kingdom and fulfill His will in our lives and the lives of those around us. We simply have to humble ourselves and get into a place where we realize that everything He accomplishes through us is entirely His doing. He gets the glory....and frankly deserves all of it anyway. And if we humble ourselves and allow God to use us and work through us, the people around us will notice this change in our attitude, the humility that comes from knowing it's not about us, and will maybe be spurred on to examine this area in their own lives.
My mind has been trying to wrap itself around all of the different directions that one little quote took it in, but there is no way I can get it all out right now. So, for the time being, just remember that life goes on, the hole in the water fills up again, and God's plan never skips a beat.
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