{"id":777782,"date":"2022-05-19T05:00:09","date_gmt":"2022-05-19T10:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/churchanswers.com\/?p=777782"},"modified":"2022-05-18T07:25:14","modified_gmt":"2022-05-18T12:25:14","slug":"you-are-important","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/churchanswers.com\/blog\/you-are-important\/","title":{"rendered":"You Are Important"},"content":{"rendered":"

What is the price of two sparrows\u2014one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

So don\u2019t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

(<\/span><\/i>Matthew 10:29-31, NLT<\/span><\/i><\/a>)<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

***<\/span><\/p>\n

My family has attended our church for more than a decade, and over the years I\u2019ve been fairly active in the congregation. For a short time, I even worked for the church. I remember distinctly how important I felt during that season.<\/span><\/p>\n

Each Sunday morning I\u2019d arrive early to help out in one area or another, and as I\u2019d walk through the halls, I\u2019d occasionally feel like I was in a parade. Every person I passed recognized me and said hello, and I replied, wishing them a good morning or asking if I could help them in any way. When people had questions, I had answers. I knew things, and they needed me.<\/span><\/p>\n

I felt important then. But when I let myself compare those Sunday mornings to my more recent ones, the discrepancy is startling. If I\u2019m not careful, I can walk in, sit through service, and walk out without having a single conversation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Oh sure, I smile and say hello. Others wave from across the aisle or down the hallway. I thank my daughter\u2019s teacher and tell the volunteers at the snack table to have a good week. But in this season, where my involvement is more behind the scenes and all I have to offer is myself, I can easily be in and out without connecting with anyone. Because I\u2019m not currently the person who knows things or the one people turn to for help, I\u2019ve pulled back and wondered, <\/span>Do I matter? Would anyone notice if I stopped showing up? Am I still important?<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

It turns out I only felt important when other people assigned value to my service, to my ability to answer questions, to my role as a leader, an employee, or an active volunteer. And it was only when I recognized this that I realized I was looking in all the wrong places for my worth.<\/span><\/p>\n

Who am I? Do I matter? Am I important?<\/span><\/i> We all ask these questions. And if we\u2019re looking at the world for our answers, those answers are going to change as often as the weather. The world will tell us we\u2019re important when we have something tangible to offer, when we meet its expectations, when we know things and have answers, when we can be held up to a set of criteria and check off every box.<\/span><\/p>\n

Volunteers? Check.<\/span><\/p>\n

Attends meetings? Check.<\/span><\/p>\n

Makes the best snacks or takes the best photos? Check.<\/span><\/p>\n

Has a clean house with Pinterest-perfect d\u00e9cor? Check.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hosts the book club (and actually reads the book)? Check.<\/span><\/p>\n

Got the promotion? Balanced the budget? Made the speech? Check.<\/span><\/p>\n

But what happens when we don\u2019t have answers or meet the criteria? What happens when life is too heavy or chaotic, when we\u2019re sick, when we\u2019re the ones who need help, when we\u2019re tired? Do we matter then?<\/span><\/p>\n

Yes! Yes, we matter. <\/span>You matter. You are important.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Your value is not determined by how much you know or give or do. Your worth is not defined by how many people know your name or how many pats on the back you receive. You matter because you are a child of God. When you wonder if anyone notices, God says you are important.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Regardless of what you are facing in your life, the<\/span> DaySpring Hope & Encouragement Bible<\/span><\/i><\/a> will arm you with the knowledge you need to be able to face any challenge, step into your toughest calling, and live the adventure God has for you. Enjoy weekly full-page devotions, reading plans for each of the 12 indisputable truths about who you are in Christ, more than 250 DaySpring inspirations, and journaling space on each page.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"What is the price of two sparrows\u2014one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered.\u00a0 So don\u2019t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows. (Matthew 10:29-31, NLT) *** My…","protected":false},"author":15426,"featured_media":777818,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"publish_to_discourse":"0","publish_post_category":"1","wpdc_auto_publish_overridden":"","wpdc_topic_tags":"","wpdc_pin_topic":"","wpdc_pin_until":"","discourse_post_id":"","discourse_permalink":"","wpdc_publishing_response":"","wpdc_publishing_error":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1,195,177,191,15962],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-777782","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-church-answers","category-conflict-and-people-problems","category-lead","category-mind-body-and-spirit","category-womens-discipleship"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nYou Are Important | Church Answers<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Who am I? Do I matter? Am I important? We all ask these questions. 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