You Are Needed

January 6, 2025 by Jeff Campbell


Where my family and I attend church, there is a card in each pew that reads: 

“This world is better because you are in it. It needs your smile and your laughter. Your honesty and your heartbreak. Your hurdles and your triumphs. It needs everything you are and everything you will be. The world needs you. Your friends and family need you. Tomorrow needs you.” 

The card is intended to help anyone who may be struggling with their own self-worth and place in life. It is for someone who may be thinking that the world would be better off without them. Having just recently watched one of my favorite Christmas movies, It’s A Wonderful Life, I’m reminded of the line at the heart of the movie spoken by George Bailey, “I suppose it would’ve been better if I’d never been born at all.” Thus begins George’s glimpse into what the world would have been like if he had never been born. Over the course of the movie, the viewer realizes how important the life of George Bailey is to so many. 

The card in the pew reminds us that the world needs us, and the story of It’s A Wonderful Life reminds us that God needs us too. It is not something most of us think about. We often acknowledge that we need God, but how often do we think about God needing us?  

I wonder how often you have experienced a moment where someone needs something very specific, and that very specific thing is exactly what you have to offer? I’m not just talking about money, or the sharing of an item (but it can certainly be that too). I’m talking about something, some experience, some lifelong learning that, up until this moment, you may not have considered important.  

This has happened to me on many occasions. One that comes to mind occurred in my third year of high school. A friend came to me distraught because his parents were arguing and talking about divorce. What he did not know was that I had just experienced three years of my parents’ conflict leading to a divorce. In that moment I knew God could use my difficult experience to walk with my friend in the months ahead. In moments like this, I have come to realize that God needs each of us.  

Every day there are grace-filled moments when God works through us to help or guide another person. And every day there are moments when God works through others to help or guide us. 

This sharing and receiving of moments is what makes The Upper Room daily devotional guide so meaningful. Each day, a unique account of how God has worked in someone’s life — often through the grace and love shared by another — is offered with the hope that it might be a blessing to someone else. With each story, we bear witness to how God needs us. When we share our specific gifts and experiences as a way of blessing others, we all draw closer to God. 

We are all needed in this complex and beautiful world. Let us be open each day for God to show us how. 


Rev. Jeffrey M. Campbell serves as interim Associate General Secretary and Publisher of The Upper Room and General Secretary (CEO) of Discipleship Ministries. 


This reflection appeared in the January edition of The Upper Room Journal, a monthly newsletter to support you in creating daily life with God. Subscribe here.

Journal Prompts

Think about a time you felt deeply needed — what emotions did that stir in you? 

Who has been a “lifeline” for you in difficult seasons? How did that impact your faith? 

What is one small way you can be more present to those around you? 

When have you felt God working through you, even when you didn’t feel ready? 


Share your responses with others in the comments below!


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