Counted

I was 1634th. That was my number. I got counted. My wife was 1633rd. Our friend Jana was 1635th. We all got counted. Together. Hundreds of us. Two thousand six hundred and ninety-four to be exact.

Sometimes it's a good thing to get counted. That can mean you're "in". You made it. You matter. And it was a good thing for us. It meant free ice cream.

We couldn't have asked for a better day to get counted. We waited outside for almost two hours but had no need to complain because the weather was perfect. The sky was sunny, and the temperature was in the upper 60's with a slight breeze. Spring was all around us, excitement in the air. It was one of those days that made you glad to be alive. And we were taking part in one of those events that only comes once in a lifetime. If that.

On Tuesday, April 20, hordes of Quad City residents and Augustana supporters assembled on the college's Ericson field to attempt a new world record. The goal: to break the previous record of 2500 for the number of people in a chain eating ice cream simultaneously. The added stipulation that put the fun over the top: the "chain" had to be created by licking the ice cream held in your neighbor's hand.

Our new, unofficial record - 2694 - has yet to be certified by Guinness, but it looks promising that we'll make the record books. Although you can't verify individual participants, you can read about the event at http://www.augustana.edu/x19602.xml.

It's not exactly the world record I would have chosen to be a part of, but, hey, it was loads of fun and very tasty. Plus, I was a part of something significant. I counted. It mattered that I was there. The new record wouldn't be the same without me or my wife or Jana. We mattered.

Deep down, I think that's what we all want from life. To matter. To the world, or to someone. We want to be a part of it, whatever "it" may be. We want to belong, to have purpose, to have meaning. We want to count.

As it turns out, you count so much that Someone was willing to die for you, so that you would live. Christ counts you as his very own. You matter. You belong, always have and always will. You have a purpose in God's world. The unending love of Jesus - now that's something you can count on.