A Question for the Ages
I recently found myself swirling, I’m sure you’ve had those days too. It was a day filled with a lot of good things, a lot of trivial things, and a few hard things. Constantly switching between the urgent and those screaming for my attention, there were many things remaining unfinished or beyond reach at the end of the day.
That’s where worry and anxiety can creep in, right? For those things out of our reach, out of our control, or just unfinished we take with us into the nighttime hours and for me, that cause a 3am wake-up call. On this particular day/night/3am, I read some of my favorite verses to calm my soul and give those anxious thoughts to the Lord. Still the list loomed large in my mind until I began journaling and asking God which ones were worth my attention. Suddenly, it was the 70’s and my dad’s voice was in my head.
Dad and I had a complicated relationship, but I valued his practical advice and decision making ability. As a small business owner, he had to make hundreds of decisions during a rapidly changing economy and those impacted not just our lives, but the lives of his employees. Dad worked those decisions backwards and forwards, with the calculator rapidly clicking on our kitchen table at night. One night while he was clicking those keys and counting money from his business envelope, I brought a question to the table. I can’t remember the exact question but being 15, it was probably about which friend I should ride to the football game with on Friday night. Dad looked over the rim of his glasses and said:
“100 years from now, will this make a difference?”
Dad was a man of faith and prayed each morning on his commute to work, so I know God was part of his decision making. But instead of giving me a bible verse to think on, he gave me a good question I still use in decision making today. Basically what he was teaching me was how to make quick decisions about temporal things and give more thought and weight to things that will make a difference for eternity.
Here are some ways I apply it:
Daily decisions about work, home or ministry: Is the task before me something needed to care for the things or people God has given me? If so, is it temporal and just one of the things I need to do, or will this one impact future generations?
Things on my mind seemingly out of reach: Is this something God has given me that will make a difference 100 years from now? If not, can I let go of it?
Decisions about relationships: Have I done everything possible to live at peace, as much as it is up to me? (Romans 12:18) If so, I release anxiety and trust He is still working.
Choices about the future: Will this decision be remembered or valued by anyone 100 years from now? i.e. Is there a trickle down effect or impact to others?
I’ve often read the verse below and wondered how we can fix our eyes on things that are unseen. Now I think Dad’s simple question was prompting me to look beyond today into 100 years and beyond. Fixing our eyes on the future and the eternal, can give great clarity on the things of today.
“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:18