Translating a World on the Edge

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When we assess our lives, it’s often from a superficial point of view.

We look at how popular we are, how successful we are, how much money we make, how big our house is, what clubs we belong to, and then we ask ourselves, “Who is noticing my successes? How do I look in their eyes?” Many times, our very self worth is contained in the dubious answers to those questions.

But if we spend our whole lives chasing after people who might notice us, and ‘stuff’ that makes us feel important, then we have seriously missed the boat.

There is only one question we need to ask ourselves–and it is crucially important to us in the ‘here and now’ because the answer to it will determine our eternity. The question is: What does God, in all His magnificence, want from Me?

God does not care if you are pretty, handsome, or just plain. He does not care if you have a fan club of thousands reading your Facebook page and clicking “like.” He does not care if you live in a big house, a trailer, or a shack. And He certainly does not care about your bankroll.

It’s really very simple. What He cares about is how much you love and the way you love.

Attempting to understand and be patient with a trying person or child is a way to love. Loyalty to a spouse despite the difficulties in marriage is a way to love. Self-sacrifice for a greater purpose is a way to love. Toning down anger toward someone who’s hurt you is a way to love. And I’m sure you could list numerous other ways.

The point is, what God wants from us has nothing to do with making ourselves large in life, but in making ourselves small enough to consider the needs of others.

We may think we’re so smart, and maybe we have more educational degrees than anybody we know, but we’ll still be only ‘educated fools’ —unless we realize that right here, right now, we’re creating our own eternity, based only on how much we’ve loved others and respected ourselves as children of God.

In a nutshell, that’s all that is truly important.