I believe God’s beauty fills the earth. I believe God’s beauty fills you. His fingerprint has made you unique. No one, anywhere, is like you. No one brings to earth what you do. No one brings to life what you can.

God loves variety. Thousands of species of flowers all over the earth express beauty in very different ways. Observing flowers is a celebration of the unique and beautiful. How can I answer the question, “What is the best flower?” or “Which flower is the most beautiful?” Should I even ask that question when each flower has its own lovely essence?

God’s values are different than ours. He does not compare flowers or us the way we so easily do. He does not judge us the way we judge ourselves. He values us because we are the living intention of His love. He made us. He gave each of us unique DNA, unique fingerprints, and voice waves and He has written a book for each one of us that tells a story that is ours alone. No one can live my story but me. No one can live yours but you.

God’s heart is alive with love. Full of intention to capture our hearts. What happens in our hearts is most important. Faith comes from the heart. What fills our hearts overflows and spills out of our mouths. What I speak brings life or death. To myself and to others.

I once lived in a small prairie town of 800 residents. I attended a church of 14 people. I felt somewhat noble for my obedience to God to live in such a vast, empty land and to attend such a tiny church. One day as I worshipped I heard God speak. “Do you know what a great honor it is for you to be with these people?” He asked me.
Obviously, I did not.

He continued speaking. He said, “These people have my ear.”
And I saw how, whenever they prayed, they were heard. Families from all over the nation called when they were sick and as these simple farmers petitioned God, He answered and healing came. I was humbled seeing God’s heart in a new way.

It is not how big our ministry or audience is that measures our success. Success as the world chases is not the way of Jesus. Not the way our heavenly Father measures success.
All of heaven rejoices when one single soul finds Jesus. Not when I have a thousand likes on social media or 100 sales or when I’ve impressed the critics with my skill.

I believe that there are people that no one but you can touch with your life. With your art, your craft, your writing, or music. They will resonate to the life of God that lives in you and can be expressed only by you. No one brings heaven to earth the way you do. No one else can show the part of God you have seen but you.

And just as natural environments are impacted when even one small bug or creature or plant becomes extinct so is the body of Christ impacted when you stop doing what God dreamed for you to do. No matter how simple or small you think it is. The world is less full and rich, less filled with His glory when you stop.

The enemy of God uses all manner of things to slow us down to keep us from living our story. He lies about the value of our work. The value of our lives. He points to others so we will compare our work to theirs. He separates us from one another by spreading fear that we will be seen as insignificant—and maybe that’s our greatest fear.

It is hard to untangle ourselves from the cultural ways of measuring our success and value but we must. We must live in the kingdom. Rejoicing in God’s garden. Filling our unique place in His glorious, diverse garden where He walks and delights in us. Where He’s longing to give us His ear.

He’s waiting for us to listen to and live the story He’s dreamed for each one of us. Don’t stop. You and your work are more beautiful than you know. You matter more than you can even imagine.