Nobodies. That’s who this book is about. Most are nobodies whose names you probably have never heard. A few are nobodies you have heard about, such as Cain, Abraham, Esau, and Samuel. I don’t mean to twist the normal meaning of the term, but at some level, we are all nobodies. A closing scene in Richard Matheson’s The Incredible Shrinking Man illustrates what I mean.
An accident of science took Scott Carey on a bizarre journey that would have him discover the true nature of his significance in the universe. As he grew smaller and smaller, he felt less and less important—especially as he compared himself to the world around him. As a six-foot scientist of repute, Carey could change his world for the better. But as he shrank, his self-image imploded, pulling into the void any hope of being “somebody.” Finally, nearly microscopic in size, he ate a final meal and lay down to sleep, perhaps never to wake up.

 Now he lay there quietly on his back, looking at the stars.
 How beautiful they were; like blue-white diamonds cast across a sky of inky satin. No moonlight illuminated the sky. There was only total darkness, broken by the flaring pinpoints of stars.

 And the nicest thing about them was that they were still the same. He saw them as any man saw them, and that brought a deep contentment to him. Small he might be, but the earth itself was small compared to this.

Staring into the vastness of space, the microscopic man realized something important. Our universe is measured by eons and lightyears, so to the God who created it all, a person standing six feet tall may as well stand six millimeters. From the vantage point of heaven, we are all mere specks. But each one is a speck our great Savior valued enough to die for.
In His universe, we are all little people—nobodies. And yet, because of Christ’s sacrifice, there are no nobodies living on planet earth. A person isn’t significant because fame or stature or publicity makes him or her so. Each is significant because God has said so.
And that includes you.
In God’s estimation, you are significant. The question, then, is this: are you going to be what you are?

FOUR TRAITS THAT CHARACTERIZE PEOPLE OF SIGNIFICANCE

How much impact we have, and whether it’s positive or negative, depends largely upon the choices we make. I encourage you to be the significant person you are. I have found that people of significance—a few of them famous, most of them unknown—share similar traits. Here are four that I see most often.
A selfless devotion. High-impact people don’t care about who gets the credit, and they never complain about the role they fill. With all the risks and all the heroic effort David’s men invested in establishing his monarchy, we do not read about a single complaint, or even one glory hog. Each was selflessly devoted to David and to each other in a great cause that was larger than any one individual.
A mission focus. High-impact people focus on the right objectives and don’t waste time pursuing things that don’t matter. Many organizations have gotten lost in the weeds because their leaders took their eyes off the objective and majored in minor issues. Organizational charts and clearly defined roles are supposed to support the mission, not the self-interest of people.
A harmonious manner. High-impact people nurture harmony with others to achieve the greater good. They set aside petty differences and choose to overlook offenses because they recognize that the enemy is outside the camp. David’s men were unified in their objective to seat David on the throne of Israel. When these heroes reached their goal, they sat for the feast and said, in effect, “David, this is one of the greatest moments of our lives” (see 1 Chronicles 12:38–40).
A contagious joy. High-impact people inspire humility and unity in others, a combination that translates into joy. I am convinced that joy is a choice and can be the most attractive quality in a person. Joyous people have the greatest opportunity to impact others positively, and they rarely leave a room the same way they found it.

Charles R. Swindoll, Fascinating Stories of Forgotten Lives: Rediscovering Some Old Testament Characters (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2011), 11–13.