What Might God Do with Your One Small Life?
Recently, while reading the first chapter of Luke, I found myself pondering Mary’s previous life—her ordinariness and insignificance before God chose her for something great. I doubt she ever imagined her name would be remembered two thousand years later.
Most of us don’t expect that either. Usually, only the most powerful individuals get their names in the history books. The ones who fight to achieve top positions or do something remarkable to be remembered by.
But God finds his heroes differently.
The first century church was populated almost entirely by the “insignificant” parts of Roman society—Jews, slaves (and former slaves), women, and children. For the most part, the early Christians were not the powerful and wealthy members of society. Many of them were uneducated and couldn’t read or write. They weren’t the ones we’d expect to make a difference or be remembered. Paul highlighted this truth when he wrote: “Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth” (1 Cor. 1:26 NIV).
God didn’t view this lack of human significance as a hurdle to overcome, but as a vehicle for his might. In fact, Paul says God purposefully chose many who seemed insignificant or “foolish” to be a demonstration of what true significance and wisdom look like.
But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him (1 Corinthians 1:27–29 NIV).
Think about it. If the leaders of the early church had been the leading men of that day—their success in spreading the gospel could have easily been attributed to their position of influence, their personal charisma, their human ability. Instead, starting with Mary, and then the twelve apostles, and then the early church as a whole, God made “foolish” choices in his followers so that his divine wisdom would be all the more evident.
Of course, God also used educated people like Paul, who had previously been a person of influence within the Jewish community. But Paul’s yes to Jesus cost him his influence and greatness and introduced great persecution into his life (see Phil. 3:4–9). Even for Paul, following Jesus meant becoming insignificant so that Christ’s power could be perfected in his weakness (see 2 Cor. 12:6–10).
This should encourage us—because not many of us are significant by worldly standards either. Yet God doesn’t need the TikTok influencer, the movie star, the president. He will work through those people, if they come to him, but not because they’re famous or powerful. He’ll work through them just like he works through all of us—empowering us with his grace and wisdom to be so much more than we could be on our own.
We don’t know the names of many of those early Christ-followers—yet we see the impact of their lives lived and given for Jesus. Our world would be different if they had not given their “insignificant” lives to be used collectively in history-altering ways.
The same is true for us. God doesn’t need our education or vocation, our affluence or sphere of influence. His work is not dependent on us, yet he invites us to join him, to give our yes and see what he might do. He invites us to embrace “insignificance” so that his greatness can shine through.
And when we say yes to him, who knows what places of influence and significance we might find ourselves in. Like Mary and Peter, like Joseph and Daniel. This happens not because we somehow earn it, but because he knows how to work mightily through our one small life.
He know how to feed thousands with one little lunch.
He knows how to build an army from a valley of dry bones.
So, what might God do with your one small life?
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