seeking significance

We all have a need for significance. There is within each of us the desire to do something bigger than ourselves. We want to accomplish something that will impact the world and give us a sense of fulfilment and satisfaction. This desire is given to us by God, who wants us to find our ultimate significance in him. As this verse from Jeremiah makes clear, he has created us with the purpose of serving and worshipping him.

This need for significance is sometimes behind the driven nature of the workaholic. Many times this drive for significance is heightened by childhood experiences. The father who tells his son that he will never amount to anything may make it difficult for his son to ever feel significant. As a result, the son may spend a lifetime trying to prove his father wrong. He may, in fact, accomplish much—yet never feel significant.

Understanding this motivation will greatly enhance the efforts of someone who is married to a workaholic. To praise the workaholic for her accomplishments is far more productive than to condemn her for devoting too much time to work. Affirmation is productive. Condemnation is destructive.

Father, please give me compassion and understanding for my spouse, who works so hard in an attempt to feel significant. Help me to affirm him or her. Help us also to remember that our ultimate significance is not something we have to attain because you give it to us.