You are important to the Lord
June 20, 2008 (Friday)
I saw in the newspaper that dancer and movie star Cyd Charise died at age 86. I read the article about her, and was surprised to learn that she was born in Amarillo. For some reason I had always thought of her as being born in France or somewhere like that.
But she was a bona fide Texan. Her birth name was Tula Ellice Finklea. From her earliest years she was called Sid, because her older brother couldn’t say “sister.” She was a sickly girl who started dancing lessons to build up her strength after a bout with polio.
Everyone has an interesting story to tell.
Today there are plumbers in the back yard, digging up sewer lines. The “boss man” on the job is 64 years old. We struck up a conversation and I found him to be much more than a guy digging through dirt and roots. He has had an interesting life and is fun to talk with. I venture to say the same is true of any person you might pick at random for a conversation.
Art Linkletter made a fortune after introducing the radio program, “People are Funny.” Another good program might be, “People are Interesting.” Remember the closing remarks of the old “Dragnet” T.V. Series? It went something like, “There are three million stories in the city; this has been one of them.” The catchy line was saying that everyone’s life is interesting.
Every person is valuable. When Jesus was criticized for associating with “sinners,” he taught his critics with a story about a shepherd who lost one sheep out of his flock of one hundred. He said the shepherd left the ninety-nine sheep and set out in search of the one lost sheep. The story prompted the composition of a beautiful song, once sung somewhere every Sunday: “The Ninety and Nine:”
“There were ninety and nine that safely lay
In the shelter of the fold,
But one was out on the hills away,
Far off from the gates of gold.
Away on the mountain, wild and bare,
Away from the tender Shepherd’s care.”
The verses of the song describe how the
shepherd went out after the one sheep,
and ends with the triumphant words:
“Rejoice, I have found my sheep!
…
Rejoice, for the Lord brings back His own!”
Every person is important to God. Is each person important to you?