“Unlike egotism, the drive to significance is a simple extension of the creative impulse of God that gave us being. . . . We were built to count, as water is made to run downhill. We are placed in a specific context to count in ways that no one else does. That is our destiny.”- Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy (1998)
In Chapter 2 (“Seen and Celebrated: Discovering Who We Are Apart From What We Do”) of Unseen, Sara Hagerty states God designed us to be seen and celebrated. Thus, God’s creative impulse instilled in us this craving to be known and realize that we matter. Most importantly, God never stops thinking about us. And He sees us at all times. As Charles Spurgeon once wrote, “God saw us when we could not be seen, and he wrote about us when there was nothing to write about.”
However, Ms. Hagerty notes, when we crave the opinions and accolades of others, we break our gaze with God’s eyes. And only God’s eyes ever truly see us. Hence, we still hunger to be seen, known, celebrate, and participate in something larger than ourselves. Sara continues:
“But too often we settle for lesser things. It seems easier to get a like online than it does to get quiet with God, to seek His face and listen for His whispers. Especially if we’re not sure what the expression on His face might be, or if His whispers will be kind. We wonder if God could ever like what He sees in us when no one is looking. And we forget is was in the same hiddenness that our selves took shape in the first place.”
Today’s question: What fuels your drive to significance? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “How to rest in the safety of God’s arms”