“You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart”—Jeremiah 29:13(CSB).
Social media has created a world where people can publicly and shamelessly promote themselves. From U-Tube videos to live-streaming on Facebook, many seek significance in a broken world. And it’s not just celebrities.
Watching young people constantly posting selfies breaks my heart. I understand their struggles, including feelings of worthlessness. They want to know they’re loved, wanted, and needed. They’re searching for significance.
Seeking to be known, people often choose paths that lead to self-destruction. Today, where more connections are made online than ever before, they mistakenly choose the world’s way of pursuing success and fame.
Worldly Success and Fame Doesn’t Lead to Lasting Significance
Have you ever considered how Adam and Eve could fall for the devil’s lies and disobey God? I mean, they lived in a beautiful garden. Eden. A perfect place. They had dominion over it. How’s that for significance?
Even though they enjoyed God’s presence in paradise, maybe they hadn’t yet grasped the significance of their status. Although it wasn’t part of God’s plan, He had no intention of being thwarted by human sin.
As sinful humans, we’re tempted by the world to seek riches, power, or prestige. But those things never satisfy. They’re superficial.
The Fate of Superficial Living
If you still have your school yearbooks, scan through the years. Maybe you were one of those who received accolades for your athletic prowess or your intelligence. You might have earned trophies, ribbons, medals, or certificates denoting your accomplishments. Eventually, those victories fade, and the medals often tarnish.
In my mid-40s, I won my first trophies, ribbons, and medals when I began competing in 5K races. Because I wasn’t athletically inclined during my public-school years, I treasured those awards.
Recently, I moved to a new house. As I was unpacking, I came across my running trophies. Although I’d clung to them for over 20 years, I now realize they no longer have any meaning for me. In my 40s, I was searching for significance but not in the right places. Several years later, after giving up my racing career, I surrendered to Jesus. God’s plan for my life is so much more fulfilling than any glittery award.
Searching in the Right Place
While some are still searching, or have already discovered it, our search for significance should lead us to one place—the foot of the cross.
We try so hard to find our place in this world, a place where we fit in. But this world is not our home. It’s only a temporary stop on our road to eternity.
Nothing—not our careers, our wealth, or our status—can bring a sense of peace and satisfaction. We can continue our fruitless searches, but real significance is found in answering the call of God on our hearts.
