When we measure success, we tend to fall in to the trap of measuring worldly achievement. Writers talk about how many books they publish (I plead guilty). Businessmen talk in terms of how much product they sell. Politicians talk of what offices they have held. These are (usually) fine units of measure.
However, these units give no mention of how many lives an individual has touched, how many kindnesses he extended, how many words of encouragement he offered.
I had cause to think of this at a funeral I attended not too long ago. There was no mention of what bank account the individual left, what positions he had held in his profession, his community, or his church. Instead, there were tender words of how much he gave, how much he listened, how much he loved.
This I know for sure: worldly success is just that. True success is found in the approbation of our Father.
Love this Mom. I often think about the world'achievements. I definitely need to remember the eternal perspective.
ReplyDeleteThis will sound odd, but I am thankful for birth and death partly for this reason. Both have the power to remind us of that eternal perspective.
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