Psalm 90:12 “So teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart.”

This past December I was fortunate to represent h.e.a.r.t. at Urbana. Urbana is a missions conference in St. Louis where around 20,000 people come together to worship God, learn about global issues, and to discover their story in God’s will. As exhibitors the h.e.a.r.t. team met people from all walks of Christian belief. We met students eager to start a career in missions, seasoned missionaries, and new believers dwelling on if missions is their calling. There was one woman I met during my exhibiting time at Urbana that gave me hope and whom the Lord used to refine who I am.

It was a Wednesday afternoon around 3 or 4 p.m. when a small woman came and introduced herself to me. At this point in the week I was exhausted and suffering from a sinus infection. The bright lights of the exhibit hall intensified my migraine and the constant chatter filling the room caused my mind to feel like it was suffocating. I sat down and drank a few big gulps of water trying to sooth my soar throat and gain stamina to last the next few hours. “Hello.” A soft voice grabbed my attention. I looked at the small woman around age 19 staring at me with wonder. I quickly stood up and introduced myself. I asked her what her passions were and started to explain h.e.a.r.t. She looked at me with confusion and gently asked, “What’s a missionary?” Taken back, I paused and started to explain what a missionary was. She started to smile and fight back tears. “I just gave my life to the Lord last night. Being a missionary sounds like something I may be created to do.” I gave her a hug and congratulated her on her acceptance of Christ.

Sometimes working for the Lord can be daunting. It can leave us feeling exhausted and feeling like we’re not making a huge impact on the world. But what that young woman reminded me is that every purpose the Lord gives his children is important. God doesn’t call us all to be famous evangelists like Francis Chan, but he does call us all to listen and obey. We’re not all called to greatness by the standards of the world, but we are all called to greatness through Christ, and that’s ok.

I think about God’s children who are often forgotten but play such a huge role in His will and His plan. The small-scale farmers who tend the earth, one of God’s first creations. What a huge honor and responsibility. Or all the parents who often go forgotten, whose responsibility is raising the next generation of Kingdom workers. The teachers and pastors who love and educate through their work and time. The temp workers who fill needs in companies and show the love of Christ through a strong work ethic and unexplainable joy. The garbage workers who do the socially unwanted job of getting rid of waste and, whom without, the world would be a much dirtier place. There are so many professions not listed that go unacknowledged everyday. Every calling the Lord gives is a gift, a blessing, and is important.

We only have so many days on earth. In Psalm 90 it says, “The days of our life are seventy years, or perhaps eighty, if we are strong: even then their span is only toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.” Seventy or eighty years, that’s it! In the span of eternity that’s not much. There are people in this world who don’t know Christ, who don’t know what a missionary is, and who do not know that there is a God who is passionately in love with them, and desires to be deeply involved with their heart. How can we change this? How can we fight for the forgotten hearts and wondering spirits? By saying yes to God’s calling on our life. Psalms 90:12 reads, “So teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart.” Everyday is a blessing from the Lord and an opportunity to say yes to His will. Everyday is a test for our heart and an opportunity to gain wisdom. You don’t have to be recognized by the world to be important. You are important because the creator of the world recognizes you.

So please, be encouraged! Because you matter, and the calling the Lord has for you is important and created just for you.

-Kayla Cochran, Creative Director, h.e.a.r.t. Institute