Who is YOUR Someone?
Who is YOUR Someone?President Ronald Reagan coined the phrase: “We can’t help everyone, but everyone can help someone.” That quote speaks volumes to me when I think about the “someones” that might have passed my way, literally….passed, without me giving them a second thought. I might have been so caught up in my own little world, I didn’t even notice the “neon sign” that God was flashing or maybe it wasn’t flashing — it was the face of a lonely or hurting “someone”, and I missed them.
God sends “someones” to us as the answer to their prayers and because we have prayed to be the answer to someone’s prayer. We pray or sing: “Make me more like You, Jesus, make me more like You. Give me a heart that’s filled with love and make me more like You.” And, though we mean well as we pray and sing those words….we are so distracted by this and that, that we miss the opportunities to be His hands extended. Shouldn’t we slow down and be intentional and focused to be that difference maker to a “someone”?
We can’t be an encourager to everyone but we can be an encourager to someone. We can create our own version of that sentence, too: “I can’t be a ___________ to everyone but I can be a ___________ to someone. What would you write there—friend, leader, mentor, counselor, teacher?
Whatever and whoever it is, I’m convinced it matters. So, let’s ask: “Who is my someone?” In other words, who do I know that God has asked me to serve today? It’s another version of the parable Jesus told of the shepherd who left the ninety-nine to go look for the one. I don’t think this literally means we’re only to serve one person. I think it’s more about understanding that we’re not called to anonymous crowds. We are called to relationships and connecting with each other in meaningful ways that heal and restore.
Jesus didn’t heal everyone in Israel while He was here. Instead He lived with focus and intention, only doing what His Father asked Him to do. Aw! FOCUS and INTENTION! Following His example means we don’t have to be that “someone” that EVERYONE needs. We can let go of that guilt that we are not doing more. But, we sure can love well the people right in front of us with focus and intention, and trust God is the One taking care of the whole big, wide world. We can’t be all things to everyone but we can be something to someone today.