Who is the most important person you know? It could be anyone, living or not. Who do you think of if you ask yourself, “Who is the most influential person I can think of?” Is it someone well known perhaps; a head of state, a religious leader, or a politician? Maybe it’s someone close—a parent, sibling, mentor, or your best friend. Is it Jesus, Buddha, or Mohammad?
We all know, or know of, other people who we think of as “important,” which is of course, a subjective and relative term. The first responder who arrives at the scene of a serious accident you are involved in is the most important person in your life at one moment, as is the surgeon who holds the fate of a loved-one’s life in their hands, at another.
Many years ago, a childhood friend asked, “Isn’t the person who cleans the pool for the President just as important as the President, because if he doesn’t do a good job, the President could get sick and die?” It was a heavy philosophical point to consider for a middle-schooler—and he was quite correct.
When it comes to the importance of certain people and how we relate to one another, one could argue that timing and context matter a great deal. This is especially true when we are thinking about our own needs and wants, and it sometimes seems as though much of life is consumed with that. I don’t know about you, but I seem to hear myself saying, “I need ‘x’,” more than I do, “What do you need?”
Now back to original question. Isn’t it true that beneath everything we think about others, there lies the critical element of how we see ourselves? Do we see ourselves as important or influential? I’m not talking about “status” here, where we seek to impress others by putting on a show of sorts. I mean, do you see yourself as having intrinsic, God-given value? Do you see yourself as being worthy of playing a seemingly small a role in what may be a grand plan designed to help the world around you?
In my faith, we are all—and that includes you—children of a loving God, each with immeasurable value and potential. But there is a catch; first, we must believe it; then, we must understand our role as being conduits of His will for humanity; and finally, we must choose to use it (“it” being our potential).
Every person is important, and everyone serves to influence others in one way or another, for good (or otherwise, when we don’t understand or accept the ‘conduit’ part)—but it is how you see yourself that matters most.
My hope and prayer this holiday season is that you choose to see yourself as God sees you. You, my friend, are a miracle—a most important person—and the world needs you.
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