Today I have been thinking about things that matter.  (And what doesn’t.)  In 100 years it will not matter if I drove an expensive car or a cheap car.  It will not matter if I lived in a mansion or in a shack.  In 100 years it will not matter if I shopped at Nordstrom or Goodwill.  It will not matter if I bought my makeup from Sephora or from SaveMart.

I read a quote this week by theologian Abraham Kuyper.  It said, “There are two kinds of beauty. There is the beauty which God gives at birth, and which withers like a flower.  And there is a beauty which God grants. That kind of beauty never vanishes, but blooms eternally.”

Eternity seems like a long time to me.  Sometimes I get discouraged, wondering why I do what I do.  Constantly spinning my wheels to build the church, and to keep my family moving ahead.  I mean thoughts such as, “Someone else, surely, is more talented than I am.  That women looks happier than I do.  That chick over there has better health than I do.  So and So makes a lot more money than me” can plague us.  I know my life however, is woven into a longer tapestry of God’s plan, than I can see, when I choose to live for Him.

I was honored to attend a viewing party of a DVD a couple nights ago, of a new friend who was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame.  Although he passed away nearly two years ago, his legacy is enduring.  People talked not just about his giftedness in making gaskets for Harley Davidson, not just of his intelligence in business, but mostly they talked about his integrity.  The legacy of his integrity is having lasting effects.  It ripples through the motorcycle industry, but also through His wife, who has taken up the challenge to continue his legacy.  It ripples through his son, who is in college, training for ministry.  It ripples through family and friends who admired him and respected him for his quiet strength and integrity.

Even looking at the life of Leah in Genesis chapter 29, you can see that her life was filled with circumstances beyond her control.  Forced to obey her father and marry a man who did not love her, she was unwanted, distressed, and rejected yet her faith in God was strong.  She continued to express trust in God, no matter what circumstances were unfair in her life.  Leah’s eventual legacy poured forth through the entire Bible.  You can trace her heritage clear through the Kings, the priests, the prophets, the hero’s, and eventually to Jesus Himself.

You cannot use external circumstances to measure your life.  You cannot judge your life by looking from the outside either.  Galatians 2:6 says, “As for those who seemed to be important—whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not judge by external appearance…”   The impact of your life reaches beyond your earthly time span.  Only a few ever get into the spotlight.  It’s what you do day in and day out, the choices you make, that matter.  It’s God’s anonymous army of saints that builds the Kingdom of God.  That’s what builds the foundations of belief that others will follow.  What you do today matters.  What you do matters to your spouse.  What you do matters to your children.  What you do matters to future generations.  What you do matters to God.  The choices you make today impact people long after we are gone.