Source of Relevance ...

Wednesday, Sept 24, 2014. What is the source of relevance? How can you be relevant to others? How can you be relevant in general? What does it mean - and where does it come from? Let us briefly recall where we are - and then dig some layers deeper!

What does not create relevance …

Humans try to be relevant by what they have and what they do. They try to be relevant by services, by products, by achievements, by care. In our social environment, all these things seem to be important. And some play the game very well and are considered as very relevant by their contributions and achievements.

But the bible wants to get us out of a big illusion. Humans are not something because they have inherited a lot from their parents. They are not something because they can do some particular thing very well. Yes, we celebrate the gold medal winners all the time - and yet they are forgotten some years later. They are not relevant, it is just some rather stupid game they won. It does not give them the feeling of purpose. It does not give fulfilment. It is just like a drug, which leaves a very strange feeling and a lot of addictions.

Let us confront ourselves with the biblical position: it is not us or our achievements which would generate any purpose. All this is void. It is empty. It is an illusion and will not lead anywhere, only to destruction. The Lord is Lord. It is all depending on him!

To be very clear: we might even do relevant things, for example we might invent some useful tool. Then people might say, even after years: he is the inventor of this, that is very good. In this sense we might have been relevant. But even this is quite useless for us if it comes to the continuing meaning which we have for others. It is our invention, which helps. It is nice that we were involved in it, but today it is long gone, and it does not leave us with the state of importance today! Let us face it: relevance does not come through achievements!

Silence …

Relevance comes from a particular relationship. It is the relationship to the Lord, to the creator, to the source of life and the ultimate target of life. It comes from God, from father, son and holy spirit. To enter the realm of relevance, we need to come to the Lord. We need to enter his presence. We need to be with him. In Habbakuk it is written:

20 But the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.” (Hab 2, 20)

Go to the Lord. Spend time with him. Do not only use him to bring all your requests and wishes. The bible talks about silence, about patience, about waiting, about becoming empty, about rearranging our life, about a new center. God is there, and he wants to be with you. He wants to give you all the purpose which he has prepared for you: eternal purpose and fulfilment. But how could you receive, if you do not go and empty yourself. How to learn from him, if you do not take time for it.

God gives us freedom. He starts to reorder our life. We can let go. We can trust him. He does not destroy, but he will guide us to green fields of life, to sustainable relationships. This all starts with us coming to him, being with him, spending time in silence with him! (Roland Potthast) ... more texts