20
December 2015
Okay, so it’s not Saturday.
It’s Sunday. But it’s been a busy
week, with a funeral occupying most of my Saturday. So today I am offering some random thoughts
about life and love and the things that make life worth living.
I recently read a post by Brant Hansen about how he was
changing his Facebook viewing habits. In
the past he would skim through the news about babies and engagements and family
gatherings and focus on the more important items in his news feed and the funny
pictures and videos that others would share.
But he had come to realize that what was truly important in life were
those posts that he had been skimming across -- that life is found in the small
moments, the new journeys, the sad farewells.
This was brought home to me in a very real way as we
prepared for the funeral of an elderly lady yesterday. As the family gathered to share with me
stories of their mother, sister, aunt, and wife, I didn’t hear of the accomplishments
of their loved one. No one talked about
her career or about the awards she had won or the achievements she had
realized. There was no mention of
resumes or accolades. Their memories,
the important memories, were those of their loved one preparing Thanksgiving
dinner with the family, opening presents around the tree, sharing a laugh
during a vacation trip to Biloxi, just enjoying the presence of those around
her.
Lives are not measured by certificates on the wall or
trophies in the hall. Lives are measured
in the small things that most don’t notice.
Times when you gather with family and friends and just enjoy being
together. This weekend reinforced my
belief that at the heart of Christianity stands relationship. It’s not about what you know, but who you
know, and how you live your life with God and with others. As some have quipped, what is important is
not the dates on the headstone, but the dash in the middle. May your dash be filled with precious moments
and may you leave memories of good times with your family and friends.
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