Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to
achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under
the sun (Eccl.2:11,NIV).
When all is said and done, what will we have to show for our lives? How
much time do we spend on things that will only be a part of this life, and not on things
that have eternal impact? We are all too often a busy and distracted people. We run from
one thing to the next, but to what end? Jesus said, "For what is a man profited, if
he shall gain the whole world, and lose his soul?" (Mt.16:26).
Solomon, in all his wisdom, chased after things of this life that were fading and, in the
end, fruitless. He lived the life of a king who did not deny himself any pleasure he
desired. He had it all, yet came up feeling as though he had nothing.
How many times have you worked so hard for something that once you attained it, you
realized it wasn't all you thought it would be? How much time did you spend in
pursuit of it?
One of the hardest things to do at times has been to put aside whatever important task I
had to complete so that I could give my attention to someone who needed to talk, or had a
question, or just wanted to visit. But I cannot remember one time where I did not
feel extremely blessed by doing so. It has always been worth it to put aside some
thing for some one, and trust that God would give me the time I needed to get all
the little things done.
It is so easy to get wrapped up and focused on where we are headed that we forget about
what we are leaving behind. When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, He
replied, love the Lord your God with all your heart, and love others as yourself.
The time and love invested in another person is something that carries eternal effects.
Perhaps you have heard someone say that when a person is on his deathbed, it is not his
material possessions that he requests be brought to him. Instead, it is that his
family be gathered together. So that in a his final moments, he can be looking into
the eyes of what mattered most.
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