Do my contributions to the world matter?

“I listened to Skillet during my run this morning,” Dan said.  “But they just don’t do it for me anymore.” 

A discussion about music, and my husband’s comment in particular, got my wheels turning about the contributions we make to the world while we are here.  At first, I was a little offended for Skillet.  I mean, they are a great band whose songs have impacted me at times in the last several years. 

Then it occurred to me that most songs have a season in my life.  They have meaning because of what I’m experiencing at the time.  I can listen to them years later and still enjoy them but not be as affected by them. 

I thought, “How depressing for music artists!  They present these songs out of their own passion, and think of how few continue to move people for decades, years or even months?”  

This led me to think about my own shared gifts.  People have told me they were influenced by things I wrote, but I never stopped to think how long that influence lasts.  It is most likely short-lived. 

Does it matter?  Should we stop producing because there’s no longevity to it? 

Consider the farmer.  He labors over his fields, tending to them with care and passion, just as artists pour themselves into a song or a painting.  After weeks or months of hard work, he produces a crop which is then consumed, and his influence lasted minutes, at best.  And yet that influence was crucial; it was necessary nutrition. 

As artists, I think we should view our work like that of a farmer.  We produce a crop, and it is consumed.  Some will enjoy it; some will not.  Some will be fed with nutrients for their soul.  Or maybe it was intended for just one person.  Either way, it is life-giving and important, if only for a short season.