Now vs. Most

I would like for you to hit the pause button on whatever you are doing right now as you read this and ask yourself a couple of questions. First, what is the most important thing in your life right now? And follow it up by asking what you are doing for that most important thing? 

There are a lot of things that each of us are responsible for and so many things with which we spend our time. But what is the most important thing? 

As I write this I’m thinking about a funeral I will be helping conduct. Every time I help with a funeral or sit in a funeral I can’t help but think forward to the day that my body will lie in state as my family greets friends and neighbors. My thoughts always go to what I will hope to have accomplished by that time. It’s a humbling thought to consider what others will remember and what others will say about me. 

Even more humbling is the thought of what God will say about the way I spent my time and talents. Knowing that I will stand before Him after I take my last breath makes me wonder what I might be thinking as I take those last few breaths. Will I be looking back over my life and wish I had spent more time watching television? Will I be thinking about how I should have posted on Facebook or Instagram a little more? Maybe I’ll wonder why I didn’t spend more time in my personal hobbies. 

The reality is that I know none of those things will be my regrets. Lonnie Jones has often asked us to consider “what we want now verses what we want most.” I let the “now” win way more times than I really should. On the day God calls me home I’m confident that the things that will matter are the things that don’t belong to this earth. I’ll be thinking about how I spent my life for God. I’ll be thinking about my family. I’ll be thinking about the people whom I love most. So, if that is what I’ll be thinking of then, that’s what I want most. And if that is what I want most then maybe I should focus on it now. 

Now, hit the play button of life again and go spend your time on the things that matter most. 

Ben