Everything Matters

Hebrews 12:25-29

Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. (Hebrews 12:28)

“THERE IS PROPERLY NO HISTORY; only biography,” wrote Ralph Waldo Emerson, and it’s true. Sure, there have been events, movements, and statistics throughout the centuries. But all of those events, movements, and statistics exist because of the people who formed them and participated in them. Perhaps that’s why God gave us not an overview of salvation history but a life-by-life personal account of its major events and themes. The story of his people is the story of . . . well, actual people. It’s all about his work in the real world—not only in the body as a whole but in the lives of individuals who love, worship, and follow him. It is deeply personal.

That’s true for your story too. You may tend to see God’s Kingdom as a global movement or a some-day prophecy, but it’s much more personal than that. It’s not an abstract principle. It’s the story of lives, including yours. That makes every person significant, every choice meaningful, every job important, and every relationship lasting. Every encounter with another human being holds the potential for a brush with truth and meaning. We aren’t dealing simply in theories and beliefs. We’re building lives.

Never lose sight of that. The Kingdom of God is about lives, not principles. It changes hearts, not groups. Yes, there are collective elements; the body of Christ has many members who are meant to live and move as parts of the whole. But the whole doesn’t exist without the parts, and every part is significant. Your story and the stories of those around you are vital elements in human history and the eternal Kingdom. They are made up of critical moments, each of which has the capacity to prompt growth and change. Live with the awareness that everything—every aspect of the story, even on this particular day—is sacred. Today and every day, you walk on holy ground.

{Lord, you have given me a sacred gift of life and a holy calling to enjoy it, share it, and invite others into it. Teach me how to treat all of my moments, whether at work or at rest, as meaningful and lasting. Amen.