Clebrity Night Shot

The question for each man to settle is not what he would do if he had means, time, influence, and educational advantages, but what he will do with the things he has.

How much do you make for writing a blog?

When I replied that there's no pay involved, he asked an even more revealing question: Then why do you bother?

While this inquiry may initially appear cynical or shallow, the "question beneath the question" actually prompts a profound examination of motivations. It's good to stop occasionally and ask ourselves that question: Why do you bother?

Why do I post to my blog at Bouncing Back several times each week and update my Twitter and Facebook status several times per day? Why did I invest four years writing and publishing a book?

What's the point of the thousands of words? The blog gets a few hundred hits each week. I connect with maybe two thousand people on social networking sites, and my newsletter reaches about 1,000 readers. I've sold about 1,000 copies of the book, and the website receives about 800 hits each month.

In Internet terms, these numbers are inconsequential. Successful books measure sales in millions, not hundreds. Influential blogs receive hundreds of thousands of hits each day. By any objective measure, my words reach only a tiny fraction of the audience required to have any real impact. It's a worthwhile question: Why do I bother?

I'm reading your book and finding it very helpful in what feels like a hopeless time in my life.

That's why I bother. Jesus didn't seek large crowds-He spent much of His precious time on Earth with individuals like the woman at the well (John 4). He didn't measure the value of His words by the size of the audience, because He knew the worth of a single soul and the significance of individual relationships.

I'd like to reach a larger audience because I sincerely believe my story has something of value for readers who struggle with grief and pain and hopelessness. And to paraphrase Mark Twain, I'm not seeking the job of millionaire but I wouldn't decline the position if it were offered.

But that's not why I bother to speak and write.

People don't seek Christ in crowds, they don't struggle in groups, and they don't face hopelessness in congregations. When you're lost in the darkness of the valley of the shadow, you're not in the midst of an energetic supporting cast. No matter how many people surround you, you face your pain as an individual.

Jesus doesn't show up only when He can leverage His impact by addressing a crowd. He comes whenever one individual soul needs Him. Wherever a single person cries in loneliness, He's there. He doesn't measure His impact in numbers, because He knows the infinite worth of a single soul.

We're a celebrity-oriented culture. We're all impressed by fame and fortune, and we can easily imagine that what we do doesn't really matter. It's easy to forget that each of us lives in a very special place-here. Wherever you are, you might be the person who can reach out to someone who's hurting or frightened or lonely. If that's the case, you're the most important person in the world.

If you're ever tempted to ask, "Why do I bother?" remember that Jesus didn't live and die for the adoration and recognition of a large audience. He sacrificed everything for you, and for me, and He never asked, "Why do I bother?"

What's a situation in which you sometimes ask, "Why do I bother?" What's your answer?