Doing What Matters

With the current focus on public health brightly at the forefront of everyone’s minds, I’ve had more than a few conversations with various people lately regarding their focus. From my perspective, it seemed that before we were shaken up by shut-downs, extreme reactionary government interventions, nonstop media hype, and outrageous politicization in numerous aspects of our lives (listing all this out sounds ridiculous!), many of us lived life on autopilot.

The economy was doing okay. Many were focused on family, careers, health, fitness, and many other worthy goals. Politics were, well, politics as usual. Those of us who attended church or larger events, or even places like the gym or our workplaces simply saw these things as normal - and, might I add, likely never saw a possibility of change coming.

All of this changed seemingly overnight. While we could certainly debate the effectiveness (or even legality, in many instances) of the power wielded by the government, we can all agree things changed at a blistering, unexpected, and unsettling pace for all of us. For a bit, it felt like we were all on a roller coaster that just blew through the loading point and never gave us the opportunity to get off. Down the next dizzying spiral we went.

At that point, many of us really had a “what have I been doing with my life?” moment. I know that I absolutely did. When everything comes off the rails, to use the roller coaster metaphor, we get the blessing and opportunity to take an objective look at our lives, our pursuits, relationships and goals. What we find might not be something we want to confront, but in every case, it brings the fragileness of our lives into view. And, it brings every detail of life into HD quicker than the blink of an eye.

As the roller coaster continued, it was amazing to me how many things lost value, things that, frankly, needed to. I realized how much time I loved spending with my family and just how precious every minute is. I also realized how much I enjoyed working with people to help them change their lives - physically, mentally, and most importantly spiritually. I love seeing people accomplish what they set their minds to, and what God puts in front of them to accomplish or overcome. I also love knowing that there are things we can do that will last beyond today,

In this, I realized simplifying my and my family’s lives and responsibilities to focus on the things that matter is now my foremost purpose. We need to pour gasoline on the areas in which we can make the biggest difference for others and ourselves, and we need to, for lack of a better metaphor, let the excess burn away. How much time are we spending on things that, when you honestly ask yourself, don’t matter much at all beyond some slight entertainment or pleasure-providing value?

How much would a few more minutes with your family be worth compared to a Netflix show?

What would less FB arguing and more real face-to-face conversations with friends and family do for our overall wellbeing?

How many riots could be avoided if people decided to buy someone they disagree with a coffee and just sit and listen to them?

How much time and quality of that time could you add to your life by focusing on your health more than sports, video games, TV watching,, etc?

How much could your relationship with Jesus deepen and grow from a few more focused minutes in prayer and the Word of God each day?

How much better could you lead your family, team, or coworkers if you spent time getting to know them better or mentoring them?

I know many of our hobbies have plenty of benefits and could even be done together as a family, so please don’t take what I’m saying to mean that anything outside of focusing on our chief purpose in life is frivolous or wrong or not worth our time. What I am saying is that we need to challenge ourselves to regularly assess where we spend the small amount of time we’re given and what our “return on investment” is.

If anything positive came out of COVID, it’s this realization: we only have so much time. We need to use it as if we can’t get it back… because as much as we like to avoid it, the fact is, our time is getting shorter every day. Use it wisely.

Whether you read the bible or not, these verses below have wisdom we can all use, regardless of our personal beliefs:

So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18

Now listen, you who say, Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a town, stay there a year, conduct business, and make money. You do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. James 4:13-14

Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring. Proverbs 27:1