The Day Between

Nobody

My daughter bought me some pretty measuring cups for Christmas last year. They are so pretty I don’t use them – they sit on the window sill above the kitchen sink as a decoration. The prettiest one somehow cracked in half – nobody did it.

The chicken Alfredo from the Italian restaurant left over from a romantic meal my husband and I shared disappeared from the refrigerator – nobody ate it.

The delicate laundry that had to be hung to dry was thrown into the dryer and shrunk – nobody forgot the Laundry Rules.

Dried mud was found in the kitchen and down the hall – nobody apparently has dirty shoes.

An entire bag of Twix bars evaporated leaving only the empty wrapping – nobody must have been hungry.

A missing music theory book miraculously appeared after a week of fruitless search – nobody claimed to have found it.

This nobody is rather sloppy and careless – not to mention a tad of a glutton – although he can also do good deeds, and not want any reward. I’d like to speak to him, but I can’t find him – only the traces he leaves behind. Is it humility or guilt that keeps my dear nobody in the shadows?

It’s not easy being a nobody, but there might be some advantages. There’s a proverb that says, Better to be a nobody and yet have a servant than pretend to be somebody and have no food (Proverbs 12:9, NIV).

How about a nobody without a servant, or a nobody that eats other people’s food, or a nobody that sneaks around making messes? I’m pretty sure there’s no proverb for that particular nobody, but then again there might be.

Most of us seek to be somebody. Who doesn’t want to be appreciated, noticed, thought of as special, and loved? We want the credit when we do something right, and mercy when we fail. We want to be well thought of - respected. We want to be accepted by our fellow man.

Paul tells us in Romans, For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith (Romans 12:3).

I like this verse because it tells us to embrace reality and to think soundly about our gifts, talents, and abilities. John Piper, founder and teacher of desiringGod.org, defines sound judgment as judgment based on God’s gracious freedom and our humility.*

This verse tells us that whatever we can do – those gifts, talents and abilities - are given to us by God. We can’t take credit for them – we can cultivate them maybe, but their existence is a gift. We didn’t earn them or deserve them – we’re gifted, or not, because God wants it that way for His purposes. Viewing ourselves in the right perspective is sound judgment.

The verse goes on to say, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. Not only are our abilities grace given, but our ability to use them are as well. It’s a little tough to think we’re hot shots when we realize everything we have and even the energy to use it comes from God. He gets all the glory; we don’t.

Paul also states in Galatians, For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But each one must examine his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting in regard to himself alone, and not in regard to another. For each one will bear his own load (Galatians 6:3).

I summarize this as, “Just do your little job!” I think this verse is telling us that we are responsible for our own behavior, our own use of what God has given us. We are not to worry about what the other guy is doing, wrong or right. As Jesus told Peter when he questioned what John’s future would be like, If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!” (John 21:22)

When I get to feeling dejected about my role in life, the lack of appreciation shown me, or hurt from being overlooked or misunderstood, I remember Psalm 15 and do my little job.

O Lord, who may abide in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your holy hill? He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness, and speaks truth in his heart. He does not slander with his tongue, nor does evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend; in whose eyes a reprobate is despised, but who honors those who fear the Lord; He swears to his own hurt and does not change; He does not put out his money at interest, nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken.

The psalmist lists what the man or woman of God should be, and what he or she should not be. We are to walk with integrity, do works of righteousness, and speak truth in our own hearts – not be self-deceived or delusional. We are to honor fellow followers, be generous, and trustworthy. We are to be people who keep our word – even when it’s inconvenient. We are not to slander, do evil to those near us, or suddenly turn on our friend. We are to reject a lifestyle of sin.

If we can do these things, we are promised that we will never be shaken.

It’s easy to find fault in others. Sometimes I think Christians are especially good at fault finding. But if we aren’t doing all those things listed in Psalm 15, we’re probably better off keeping our mouths shut and just doing our little job.

It doesn’t really matter what anyone thinks of us. The only one we need to strive to please is the Lord. As the psalmist said, I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness (Psalm 84:10b).

We may be a nobody, but if we're His somebody that’s enough.

*https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/sound-judgment-one-body-several-parts