Morning Manna

Devotional

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The Old Typewriter

The Old Typewriter

Gabriele Stangl, WM Director, Mid-German Conference

Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life. 

 

Isaiah 43:4 ESV

"Although my typewriter is xn old model, it still works very well - except for the fxct that one letter is broken. You would think thxt if xll the other letters xre working, x single mxlfunctioning letter wouldn’t mxtter much. But it seems thxt one defective letter is sufficient to spoil the whole impression.
You mxy think, ‚I’m just one person. No one will notice if I don’t do my best. What I do doesn’t rexlly matter.‘
But you do mxke x big difference, becxuse you xre x pxrt of something bigger. The world will never be better if we don’t mxke xn effort together to mxke it x better plxce.
Thxt’s why, the next time when you think you xre not importxnt, remember thxt there is One who will not begin His grext celebrxtion until you xre there. You xre extremely importxnt to Him, xnd He is wxiting for you with longing, love xnd recognition.
(Free translation of an extract from: Damit für dich die Sonne scheint, Brunnenverlag)

Do you sometimes think that you are not that important? You are only a little "cog", who would pay attention to you? For whom would you be important? And because you feel so unimportant, you withdraw, become more and more invisible and inconspicuous. You are convinced that no one will miss you.

That's what you think! You may think that you don’t have enough of value to be important to others? Your gifts are too modest to mention? I will tell you that every single gift we bring to the community matters. If an otherwise wonderful soup lacks salt - a really small amount compared to the other ingredients - then it tastes bland. Perhaps your contribution is "the salt in the soup"!

Something is missing when you are not there. Your smile, the way you approach others, your voice in the crowd. The choir sings with less power without you, your opinion is important and counts. No one can replace you! The history of this world would be different without YOU. Someone needs your encouragement. You sometimes tip the scales without knowing it. Everything you are and do makes a difference in this world - and maybe even in the world to come....

Maybe you're still convinced that you are not needed. But there is the One who is waiting for you, and He doesn't want to start His great celebration until you are there, too. You are extremely important to Him, and He is waiting for you with longing, love, and recognition. For Him you are precious. You were dearly bought and are so precious that He would have died for you, even if YOU were the only one to accept Him as your Saviour and friend. Yes, you make a difference! We need you! We are happy to see you, because without you something important would be missing in our lives!