There’s a great little Bible verse in 1 Samuel 14:6 where Jonathan claims that “the Lord will accomplish His purposes, whether by many or by few.” Some translations say, “Nothing can hinder the Lord; He can win a battle with many warriors or just a few.”
The phrase “just a few” resonates with me this week as I encourage fellow bloggers, book writers, community builders, and speakers. We’re increasingly expected to produce proof of our influence though followers, retweets, shares, event attendance, mentions, and of course, book deals. Bigger is always better in social networking circles.
But is that God’s way to think about influence? What about the few that we care for? What about the few that God calls us to love and influence?
I’m driving home from teaching my small class of students. Just 24 in each class, 48 altogether. In the world of influence and big numbers–of platform and importance–I am woefully inadequate. I’m a joke to publishers and conference teams.
I’m nobody. Even my blog doesn’t rank high enough to mean anything.
But you read it. And I love you and am thankful for you. I’m not trying to measure influence anymore; one really can’t. Jesus didn’t employ performance metrics in his ministry on earth. He turned away from big crowds and invested in the few.
I’m realizing how much I love the few.
God accomplishes His purposes whether by many or by few. Maybe it shouldn’t matter to us either.
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Thank you for reading Live with Flair. Thank you for the privilege of teaching you if you are reading as my student. Thank you for the high honor of being asked to speak at any event you might have attended. I see you as you and not as a platform for influence.
* Thank you to Robin Kramer over at Pink Dryer Lint for helping me see this truth.