In an impoverished village in India, a missionary and his co-workers were trying to improve the living conditions of the locals, including securing clean drinking water.

Through an interpreter he asked a young girl a question: “What do you need the most?”

She was about nine or ten years old, covered in dirt, and didn’t say anything. All she did was smile and grab on to a small wooden cross around her neck.

At a later time, thinking back on his experience, the missionary reflected on the meaning of that interchange. “It was as if, through her smile and by clutching her little wooden cross, she was saying to me, ‘There may be many things I want, but I already have what I need the most—Jesus.”

What if our times of desperation served to remind each and every one of us about what does and doesn’t matter—about what matters least and what matters most?

What if stuff matters, but less than we had thought?

What if King Christ matters, but more than we had thought?

Everyone has priorities. Those who are wise live by the ones that matter most.

“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen” (Philippians 4:19-20).

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Notes:

–Bible quotes are from the NIV.