What was your name again?

Off the subject I was going to talk about - but I had to share this...Ava and I were in the car and she's been learning about creation and is still trying to wrap her head around it...
Ava: "Mom, did God make ALL the trees?"
Me: "Yep, He sure did."
Ava: "Wow - did he make the worms too? And the cows?"
Me: "Yes honey - he made all the animals. Even the worms. He made the sky, sun, moon and stars. He made the ocean and all the sea animals."
Ava: "And ALL the trees. Wow - he sure musta been tired after all that!"

Our church has something called World Changers Bible Institute - where they train people to go out into the ministry. They did a video on Sunday - A group of students came in to the classroom right before they were to take a test. Kenny, the janitor was finishing up cleaning off the tables and emptying the trash then he left. All the students were talking about how much they'd studied, memorizing the entire book of Leviticus and so on. Then the teacher comes in and passes out the tests. As soon as the students looked at the test they started panicking. "I didn't study this! I memorized the entire book of Leviticus this doesn't say anything about Leviticus!" The teacher says calm down - I know you guys know the Bible. But you need to know the people. People matter.
The question on the test? What is the Janitor's name?

The point Pastor Jim was trying to make - Everybody MATTERS. People matter. How many times have we gotten fast food, gone to the post office, grocery store, or anywhere else and been helped by someone and barely even realized they were there? I am guilty for sure. We get so busy with our lives that we forget to notice, much less show appreciation for the little things that strangers do for us. Who cleans the toilets at your church? Do you remember what the person who bagged your groceries looked like? Did you thank them?

5 Things We Should Know About People:

1) Everyone wants to be appreciated
2) Everyone wants their lives to matter
3) Everyone wants to feel significant
4) Everybody needs somebody
5) Anybody who encourages somebody impacts lots of somebodies!

Everyone wants to be appreciated. Everyone wants to feel significant. Wow. As Christians are we touching people with kindness? Or simply ignoring them as we go about our lives? How hard is it for me to pay a little bit more attention? Encourage people a little more? It takes seconds. Seconds to make someone feel appreciated. Encouraged. Significant. And do you know what I've found? When I encourage other people - I am encouraged. My day is better. I am happier. And what you make happen for others, God will make happen for you because people matter to God.

So - be an encourager! And see how God blesses you for blessing others!
Hebrews 3:13 - "But encourage one another daily, while it is called today, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin."