Sometimes I feel particularly small in a huge and overwhelming universe, and I wonder, does my life really matter?  Am I significant to God? …to others?  If I fell off the face of the Earth tomorrow, what would the memory of my life be characterized by?

It’s in the midst of these questions, in my moments of deepest private discouragement, that Jesus reveals himself to me in a personal and powerful way.  He picks me up with the greatest care and asks me a few questions in return…

• Do I live for him, above all else?
• Do I lay everything on the line for the well-being of my family? …of my friends? …of total strangers?
• Do I leave a path of carnage and despair, or one of healing and care?
• Is the world better off because I am alive?

Time and time again I find that a life lived for me is devoid of significance.  It is a life lived for Jesus that gives my existence meaning.  When I live selfishly, significance is the casualty.  But when I live to listen to Jesus and to follow him, I find purpose that nothing else can provide.

So today, on my birthday, I choose to live significantly.  I choose to live for Christ.  I choose to love my family and to love people.  Nothing else is more significant.