Childhood Memories and a Simple Song
When I was a little girl in Sunday School, we sang:
“He’s got the whole world in His hands,
He’s got the whole wide world in His hands,
He’s got the whole world in His hands,
He’s got the whole world in His hands.”
That was repetitive, I know. But those of you who know the song sang along, didn’t you? As a child, the world seemed big yet was actually very small. It consisted of family, neighbors, and school. As I grew older, my perspective expanded to include other states, countries, cultures—people.
The Expanding Reach of Today
Today, with the internet, we have Zoom and conference calls that can connect people literally all over the globe. So now, even though my sphere of influence is so much larger than when I was a child, it doesn’t feel so big anymore, and Jesus’ command doesn’t feel so impossible. My life overlaps with yours, and your life overlaps with the lives of others, and so forth. I believe if we each influence those in our own circles, we are fulfilling the Great Commission.
Fulfilling the Great Commission
Connecting with others brings us closer to the vision Jesus talked about in Mark 16:15 (NIV) when He said: “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”
Though we may have wanted to be missionaries, many of us were not. A sense of regret or failure may fill us at times, thinking we didn’t do what we wanted to do.
Witnessing in Our Own Communities
Remember, you may not have been called to go overseas to a foreign country to witness for Christ, but you have witnessed to your own people. It is a matter of defining who those people are.
Ezekiel 3:5-6 (NIV) says: “You are not being sent to a people of obscure speech and strange language, but to the people of Israel—not to many peoples of obscure speech and strange language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely if I had sent you to them, they would have listened to you.”
As Christians, we each contribute to our own environments. This may be even harder, as God inferred when He talked to Ezekiel. Foreigners might be more inclined to listen to your witness, than your own family and friends, but we have no excuse as He goes on to say, “whether they listen or fail to listen ….” they will know.
Embracing Our Influence
Let’s embrace our surroundings, knowing that our influence, no matter how small it seems, is part of a larger tapestry woven by God’s hands. Together, we fulfill the Great Commission, one connection at a time.