May 06, 2001
The Feeling of Insignificance

TEXT: II Corinthians 5:11-20
Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience. We are not trying to commend ourselves to you to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart. If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: be reconciled to God.

Tom was a third string quarterback on an outstanding high school football team. With two quarterbacks considered better players than he by the coach, Tom saw little playing time. It is reported that today he refers to his experience of standing on the sidelines or sitting on the bench as living with “the feeling of insignificance.” This is commonly known as a low self-image. He did not feel that he was important to his team.

Today, Tom is known as one of the world’s greatest golfers. He is seen many times during the year on national television. Many spectators follow him on the course, especially when he is in contention to win the tournament. All of this attention convinces Tom that he is a significant player in the golfing world. I refer to Tom Lehman, one of the best-known golfers on the PGA tour.

A reporter at the World Com Classic, commenting on Tom’s illustrious golfing career, made reference to his high school football experience, and inferred that this great golfer also knows the other side of the athletic world and what it is to live with the feeling of insignificance.

Haven’t we all tasted of the feeling that we just don’t count?


This feeling of insignificance is related to the assumption that you must perform well in a given task and receive the praise of people. The larger the groups who applaud you, the more important you are. President Bush plays a more significant role in the world as president than when he was the governor of Texas. Former president Clinton has a less significant role today in world affairs than he did a year ago. But here is the big question: if our importance is related to some accomplishments which receive public praise, what happens when one falls out of sight? What happens when the athlete gets cold? What happens when the politician is no longer in office? What happens when the master mechanic has to retire because of poor health? What happens when the skilled surgeon has to tender his resignation because of failing eyesight?
What makes the early years of retirement difficult for some of us? It’s that feeling of insignificance. Before I retired, I would awaken on Monday morning, take a shower, put on a clean white shirt, and head off for work. There I would be greeted by a friendly staff. Two or three of them would compliment me on yesterday’s sermon, and then my secretary would remind me of what had to be done during the week: calls that had to be made and meetings that were scheduled. There was a feeling of importance until I foolishly came to believe that the church could not run without me.

Then came the big retirement party. Now it was the first Monday of retirement. The alarm rang at the same hour. Why should I get up? As a retiree I could remain in bed and watch the entire Today Show. There was no need to put on a white shirt and tie. No, that would no longer be the proper way to dress. Just a pair of jeans and tennis shoes were the official Monday morning attire. What do I do? It didn’t seem right to play golf. That was done on Thursday afternoon with your friends, not on Monday morning. I stayed home all day. By 5:00 p.m. I said to my wife, “Let’s go out for dinner. I can’t stand this any longer.” Day number one of my retirement was not pleasant, nor was day two or three. After a few weeks of frustration, I had lunch with a friend who had similar experiences in the early days of his retirement. He put his finger on the problem immediately when he said, “You no longer feel important to anyone. Who needs you anymore? You have to learn that God still has a place for you. Once you served Him as a parish pastor. Now you will serve Him in other ways. Your importance has not changed. You now have an opportunity to minister with God’s Word in a less structured way.”

My friends’ counsel was based on God’s Word. Look at our text:

Paul, in his second letter to the Corinthians, says, “We are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.” (14) Christians live with the conviction that Christ died for us. Because of that, we have become new creatures. “We live no longer for ourselves, but for him who died for us and was raised again.” (15) “Therefore,” Paul writes, “all this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation . . . He has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.” (18-20) It is our privilege to carry the message of God’s love under all circumstances to those with spiritual needs. This affirms that we have a significant role to play in life, which comes from our relationship with God. Our feelings of importance have no relationship to the praise of people. What we are doing for God by serving others may not be known to many, but it is a ministry that is significant in God’s eyes. Let’s see how this works:


Look around in your neighborhood, or among your circle of friends, and see the needs. There’s a family whose hearts are heavy. While they are committed believers in the Lord Jesus, they need others in the faith to comfort them with the promises of God’s Word. The father, in his early 50s is terminally ill. He grows weaker and weaker. There is severe pain in his body. As if that were not enough, a few days ago his daughter had a breast removed from cancer. While her prognosis is good, it is scary. This is a home where the Christian can play a significant role. A part of our ministry can be to visit this family and share with them a word like Psalm 46: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear . . . Be still and know that I am God; . . . the Lord Almighty is with us, the God of Jacob is our fortress.”

Then we sit back and listen as the sick person shares his feelings. Before leaving, we talk to our Father in prayer and commit this Christian brother to the loving care of His heavenly Father who watches over him. This is a significant ministry!

I received a note from a father and mother asking if I would write a letter to their daughter, who is graduating from high school. These letters, written by friends of the family, will be bound in a book and given to her on graduation day. Each of us was asked to emphasize a particular topic. I was to write on the importance of God’s Word in our lives. It is my prayer that this book will be a source of comfort, inspiration, and counsel to the young woman. Those of us asked to contribute to this book were given a very significant assignment. Who knows how God will use these letters in her life.

I visited with a woman in the grocery store last week. She had not been at her Bible class for several months because of illness in her family. During that time, when she needed spiritual help, no one from the class had contacted her. “No one cares,” she said. “They didn’t miss me.” This was not an unfamiliar story. I heard it often when I was a pastor. It wasn’t that we didn’t care. In most cases, our office was not aware of these specific cases where Christian care was needed. However, members of the congregation knew about it. Yet no one made a call on the person who was hurting. Some of these friends were probably sitting home wondering what life was all about in these hours of despair. Their lives are open to what God has to say. What a blessing could have come from someone dropping by and sharing with this woman those wonderful words of Jesus, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” This is what Paul is talking about when he says, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”

Ministering to one another with God’s Word is a very important task. Be faithful in this calling, and we will have few feelings of insignificance. Those peak days in our careers might have come and gone, and there might be days when we will entertain thought that there is little purpose in living. When that happens, just remember that the Lord is saying, “I can use you in sharing your faith with those who need to know that I am by their side.” Amen.

Amen.

Rev. Homer Larsen
Christian Crusaders