Years ago, I read a great sermon by Francis Schaeffer, “No Little People, No Little Places.”  It explains what the Bible teaches about each of us having significance.  There may be a lot of people, but that doesn’t mean each person is without significance.  Besides being made in the image of God, each life affects others and history.  Let me tell you a story to illustrate this, and encourage you, no matter who or where you are.

Ever feel really small, maybe no more than a grain of sand along the beach?  It’s easy to think this way when we consider all the people who are in the world.  Flying over New York, Atlanta, or Los Angeles, it isn’t just the landmarks we notice; we see we are less than a drop in a bucket; more like a drop in the ocean.

Years ago, I read a great sermon by Francis Schaeffer, “No Little People, No Little Places.”  It explains what the Bible teaches about each of us having significance.  There may be a lot of people, but that doesn’t mean each person is without significance.  Besides being made in the image of God, each life affects others and history.  Let me tell you a story to illustrate this, and encourage you, no matter who or where you are.

A few months ago, my wife and I were on a cruise.  I’m a fairly outgoing type of guy; still, on these trips I will wear a ball cap or t-shirt with something printed on them, that might get a conversation started.  One morning at breakfast on this trip, I wore a t-shirt from a past youth conference where I had worked.  The t-shirt had parts of two verses from Isaiah 43 printed on the back: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.  For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”  As we were having breakfast, a young lady asked if she could sit with us.  In broken English, she mentioned where she was from, in Europe.  She said that when she saw my shirt, she believed it was God’s message for her that day.  As we spoke, we learned of the stress she was under, working with terminally ill patients and overseeing a staff which was irresponsible in doing assigned tasks.  We tried to give her counsel and encouragement and spent a lengthy period talking.  We also learned she was on the ship with a large Christian tour group.

On the final day of the cruise, as we sat reading on the deck, I noticed a lady in a chair reading her Bible, next to my wife (I make it a point to be nosey to see what people are reading, which is getting a lot more difficult with people using Kindles).  I noticed she was wearing a name tag like the young lady from breakfast, so I began what was another lengthy conversation.  She was the leader for the group and an owner in the company.  We talked religion, politics, business, cruising and other things.  For a moment I was even wondering, “Now how could I start a tour business like this?”  Before our conversation ended, she mentioned that since I was a minister, she would like to introduce me to the speaker who was traveling with their group and teaching them each day.  As much as I enjoy conversation, I wasn’t too excited about meeting another minister; too much like work, and I was on vacation.  Still, I smiled and tried to look gracious; and since it was time for lunch, we each left to go our separate ways to grab something to eat.

Later that day, after waking from an afternoon nap brought on by eating too much lunch, I decided I would take a walk.  I had been trying to do enough laps to walk over 3 miles each day.  As I arrived on the deck, I immediately encountered the group leader, and she began walking me toward their speaker for the trip, so I could meet him.  We walked a few yards, and, I have to admit that he and I began a most pleasant conversation.  He was a university professor, Lutheran lay minister, and personally knew the author of the book I had been reading earlier that day, on a Christian worldview of the arts.  In our conversation about cruising, I mentioned that I had conducted worship services on cruise ships, and that I was going to write an article detailing instructions for others who might want to do so as well.  He asked if I would send him a copy when it was completed. He explained that even though he enjoyed teaching the Christian groups, he would also like to lead worship for the general public on cruises, and that he was scheduled to do a number of river cruises in Europe.

By now, I have written the “how to lead worship on a cruise ship” article, and have sent it to him.  Hopefully it will be helpful.  But as I thought over these events and pieced them together, I saw a chain of events that began with me wearing a t-shirt, and a lady discouraged, who asked for help.  Her approaching me encouraged me to wade into conversation with the tour leader.  This, I presume, led to at least some folks on river cruises in Europe surprised and blessed by the unexpected opportunity to worship.  I don’t know what will come of those times of worship, but I do know that God’s word doesn’t return to Him without accomplishing whatever purpose He intends when He sends it out.  And I know that the lady at breakfast who came to us discouraged became a source of encouragement to others, maybe very many others.  The truth is, there are no little people and no little places.  Remember, this applies to you, no matter who you are.

K. W. Pete Hurst is a part-time associate pastor at Calvary Reformed, PCA, Hampton, VA and an Associate Broker in Real Estate with DuVal Associates in Newport News, VA. He blogs at God’s Fool, where this article first appeared.

[Editor’s note: The link (URL) to the article source is unavailable and has been removed.]