I Am Nothing

“Do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?” (2 Corinthians 13:5 ESV)

A few weeks ago, I attended a conference with several local speakers. When I walked in, the room was full and the lights were dimmed for a video presentation. I noticed an empty chair near one of the tables in the back. I asked permission to the person next to me before I sat down. During the intermission, several people came up to that table to chat with others near me. I realized that I had sat down near some of the official presenters at the conference. As I was scanning the room for another seat, one of the audience members came up to me and asked:

“Are you one of the speakers?”

“NO! I am nothing,” I blurted out.

He said, “Don’t say that! Everyone is something.”

I wasn’t trying to be humble--it was a gut-level response. This habit of invalidating myself started when I was a child. I can be encouraging and affirming to others, but not to myself. It’s not that I lack self-esteem; I’ve just internalized certain worldly standards about what it means to be significant. It’s hard to hear the whispers of the Spirit above the cacophony of these lies.

The truth is that our worth comes from only one thing: Christ is in us. Thus, everyone has value. Like land that holds underground gold, we all have the potential to reveal Christ. Whether we recognize it or not, the Spirit of God is working on us, in us, and through us. As we yield to Him, our lives become an expression of God, who alone is the source of significance.

I keep praying that this faith we hold in common keeps showing up in the good things we do, and that people recognize Christ in all of it. (Philemon 1:6 MSG)