For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Peter 1:8 NASB

I am a Puddleglum. I confess it. I am prone to melancholia, and now and then, especially when responsibilities and worries weigh heavily, I will think, “I am quite a useless critter after all.”

The thought does not last long, as I know better, but it still creeps into my consciousness unasked. As we grow older we seem to accumulate failures, disappointments, dashed hopes, and derailed dreams. And a Puddleglum will weight those more heavily than the more real, solid joys of life, the gifts that God gives. And, if we are wise, we will not be tricked into believing that fame or wealth or professional accomplishment will answer that thought. So, at the end of the day, that one word often looms in my mind: useless.

Puddleglums like me need reassurance. We need a solid promise. And Peter gives one that is so striking and brilliant that I have trouble wrapping my soul about it:

…if these qualities are yours; you are neither useless nor unfruitful…

In God’s eyes—and they are about the only eyes that matter—we are useful, significant, (famous if you will) if only we are growing in Christ, building little by little.

If you are a Puddleglum like me, I challenge you to memorize this short passage from Peter and use it to encourage yourself when the cares of life weigh heavily.