What matters less: possessions, the past, and perfection.
What matters more: family, friendship, and focus.
***
Possessions come and go. They must be left behind when our
souls leave our bodies behind at death. When there is a change of heart,
relationship or fortune, there is an exchange of possessions, and so very often
this can occur outside our control. So we would be best to hold our possessions
lightly — they matter less than we think.
The past will continue to bear onerously
over us if we aren’t careful. We all have regrets. We all have components of
our pasts that we would gladly leave behind. But the past is both done and it
cannot be changed. It is what it is. It is part of our history, but it needn’t be
our platform forward without our say so. The past matters less than the future.
This is an irrefutable statement when you think you have to live your
future. When nobody else can.
Perfection is arduous and burdensome and few can attain
to the level of perfection they set for themselves. Perfection is a waste of
time and energy. It is a sad indictment on our fear for anything less. It only
sets us forward on a journey of fatigue and despair. But there is life in
accepting our and others’ best effort. Perfect standards and results matter
less than good or acceptable ones.
What matters
more is relationships and focus.
Family epitomise how well we love others. If we struggle to love
our family members, what good is it that we love strangers? But if we can
tolerate and enjoy our familial relationships we are grateful to who God gave
us, principally, to love. Loving family, especially those who may be hard to
love, matters more than loving those who are easier to love. Love really is not
a mushy feel-good type of thing. It’s a rubber-hits-the-road type of thing.
Friendship matters. And it is such a broad relational
concept. A friend will give themselves away for a friend. In that way, to be a
disciple of Jesus is to be a friend; a neighbour, unconditionally. We may not
be friends with some people, but that is no barrier to offering friendship
regardless — a concept unrestrained and not relevant to time spent together.
Friendship matters more than solo pursuits (not that solo pursuits aren’t
crucial for many of us, because they are).
Focus matters. We cannot achieve the things that God has placed on
our hearts — his call of us, personally — unless we discern what it is, and
then deploy focus. Focus matters more than enjoying life, because we find that
focus is enjoyment of life.
***
Family,
friendship and focus will serve anyone well who is serious about the good life,
to get it right.
© 2015 Steve
Wickham.
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