What Will Matter??

[annieap]

Ready or not, some day it will all come to an end. There will be no more sunrises, no days, no hours or minutes. All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten,will pass to someone else.

Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance. It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed.

Your grudges, resentments, frustrations, and jealousies will finally disappear.

So, too, your hopes, ambitions, plans, and to-do lists will all expire. The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.

It won't matter where you came from, or on what side of the tracks you lived.

It won't matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant. Your gender, skin color, ethnicity will be irrelevant.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++

So what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured?

What will matter is not what you bought, but what you built; not what you got, but what you gave.

What will matter is not your success, but your significance.

What will matter is not what you learned, but what you taught.

What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage and sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others to emulate your example.

What will matter is not your competence, but your character.

What will matter is not how many people you knew, but how many will feel a lasting loss when you're gone.

What will matter is not your memories, but the memories of those who loved you.

What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what.

Living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident.

It's not a matter of circumstance but of choice.

Choose to live a life that matters.

[Jeremy]

What a lovely thought for a Monday. That one day it all will end. :(

[kdown]

I believe that I will live on and on and on in the minds of my children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. That is my legacy.

[acoolmom777]

Well this is deep...
And if you sit back and think about it, it is a good thought for a Monday.
As you go through the week, take time to check you priority list and make sure it is where everything should be.
I myself thought of this long ago…I wanted my name and life’s works to be remembered throughout my bloodline. So my hubby (the great person he is) told me to get off my butt and do something, and I did. I have written poems for many years…soooo…I sat down got them in order and had them published, including a special one for my son and one for my daughter. I had to pay to have them done, but I didn’t care. Now my kids have something in print. Also, as a 21st birthday gift, they will own their own “star”..that is cool. (Materialistic but yet personal)

But you know, the thought and knowledge of “the end times” has no fear for me. I never felt as if we were a “human being” working towards a spiritual life…I always looked at it as, a “spiritual being”, in human form working towards our eternal placement with God.

I also do believe we follow a destiny, that we control…this be our free will to choose what we want for our selves in our lifetime. It may not always happen when and where or how we want, but we are the direction setter. I have always tried to live for each day to the fullest and love that way too. I am a very happy and content person and I think that is what my God had planned for me.

[uprivergirl]

I read of a man who stood to speak at the funeral of a friend. He referred to the dates on his tombstone from the beginning.....to the end. He noted that first came his date of birth, and he spoke the last date with tears. But he said what matters most of all was the dash between those years. For that dash represents all the time that he spent alive on earth.... And now only those who loved him know what that little line is worth. For it matters not, how much we own; the cars...the house...the cash. What matters is how we live and love and how we spend our dash. So think about this long and hard... Are there things you'd like to change? For you never know how much time is left, that can be rearranged. If we could slow down enough to consider what's true and real, and always try to understand the way other people feel. And be less quick to anger, and show appreciation more and love the people in our lives like we've never loved before. If we treat each other with respect, and more often wear a smile... remembering that this special dash might only last a little while. So, when your eulogy's being read with your life's actions to rehash... would you be proud of the things they say about how you spent your dash?

[mark]

..............excellent post Annie.

I was one who use to worry about things & kept up a hectic pace trying to "accomplish" stuff I wanted done. Then I read a passage in my Bible ( NIV ) that goes something like this in Matthew 6:

Do Not Worry
25“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life[b]?

After reading that, especially verse #27, I changed my outlook towards life. I quit worry what everyone thought of me, quit worrying about "stuff" I have no control over. I'm willing to help others more. I volunteer & spend more time at my church & with my kids. I've volunteereed to do things when others won't "step" up to the plate. I've helped others with all kinds of things & try to show my kids the "right" way to live.

After all, the kids are our future. Unless you are a famous individual, once you pass on, the generation after the current one won't know you, remember you, & probably won't even care about you.

So, having said that,
Here's another great thought to remember & it's even in Matthew 6 also:

Treasures in Heaven
19“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Get your treasures stored up in Heaven NOW, while you can.

That's the BEST way to be remembered......on both sides !! ..............see ya Mark

[acoolmom777]

oh man...i love that "dash"

[annieap]

coolmom... "The Dash" was written by Linda Ellis shortly after she attended the funeral of a close friend. She sure summed it all up, didnt she?