I’ll be honest, sometimes I question my real value. We all want to believe that our lives make an impact, but the truth is, none of us ever really know how far our influence reaches. A kind word, a piece of advice, or even a book written from the heart may land quietly in someone’s life and change everything, yet we may never hear about it.
For me, the struggle is often internal. I set my expectations so high that I rarely feel like I reach them. What feels like failure to me might actually look like success to others. Friends and family tell me I’ve accomplished so much, but when you’re wired to expect more of yourself, you can easily miss the victories along the way.
The Bible reminds us that our worth isn’t tied to visible results. Paul wrote: “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow” (1 Corinthians 3:6). In other words, our role is obedience, not outcome. God measures our faithfulness, not the applause we get.
Still, I think about practical things too. I don’t need fame or fortune. What I long for is stability, the ability to make a comfortable living doing what I enjoy without living in fear of not making ends meet. That kind of peace feels more valuable than any spotlight.
And maybe that’s where the lesson lies: life is not about chasing someone else’s scoreboard. The world measures success in money, titles, and recognition. But God sees the quiet seeds we plant, the conversations, the kindnesses, the sacrifices that no one else notices. Hebrews 6:10 says: “God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and continue to help them.”
If you feel like you’re not enough, remember this: progress is success. Every small step of obedience matters. Even in creation, God called His work “good” along the way, before He called it “very good” (Genesis 1). He values the process as much as the outcome.
So today, stop measuring yourself by a scoreboard you were never meant to play on. Trust that if your heart is still beating, God isn’t finished with your purpose. Your life matters. Your work matters. And even if you never see the full ripple effect, you can rest in the truth that God sees, and that’s enough.
Troy P Zehnder 