There’s a line from a Paul Colman song that keeps running through my head, “Does the work I’m doing really matter at all…”

I’ve given up just about everything to live this Kingdom dream.  The answer to this question is rather important to me.

How do you measure success?  I’m keeping track of a few metrics; how many dreamers  met, how many dream consults done, how many miles driven, etc…  Although these are important, they don’t really tell me if what I’m doing is meaningful. 

Does it bring glory to God?  Is the work eternal?  Does it help transform lives? 

I guess I’m no longer interested in success.  I’m searching for significance.

It looks different than I was taught.

The first thing I was taught was to be efficient.  I was pretty good being organized.  Sometimes though, my efficiency got in the way.  At some point you have to stop organizing and get something done!

I struggled more with effectiveness.  I like to organize but have a harder time pushing myself to get results.  After many years, I learned to be more effective, but I had to lose a little of my efficiency in order to grow my effectiveness.

Now, I realize sometimes my effectiveness gets in the way of doing something significant.  In my quest to get things done, I can push right past the stuff that really matters.  Sometimes the most significant actions are neither efficient or effective.

In my search for significance, I am losing some of my effectiveness.

For me significance looks like having coffee with a woman who doesn’t feel like she is doing anything meaningful in her life.  It looks like passionately working on a book with my son and daughter when it’s probably won’t net us any solid results.  Significance looks like being willing to stop and pray for anyone along the way who needs it, even if that means I won’t get the next thing checked off my to-do list.

Sometimes, the most significant thing we can do is leave our cell phone at home
and just BE with someone without an agenda or time constraint. 

Someday, I hope to achieve the ultimate – effective significance.  These people are masters at effectively doing very significant things.  I’ve got a long way to go to get there.  For now, I’m content with losing some effectiveness.

The key right now for me is to be significantly available for God to use me.

Being available takes a little work.  I have to leave more room in my schedule.  I have to say “no” to a few more projects.  I have to leave margin in my to-do list.  I don’t get as much done as I used to, that is for sure.  However, what I am getting done seems to have more impact and power.

Is the work you are doing significant?   Maybe you aren’t allowing yourself to be available for those significant moments?