What will it Matter?

I consider myself a spiritual person.  Not in the "hippie" sort of sense, where everything is flowers and mistique and if-it-feels-good-do-it.  I am a Christian, and therefore follow the teachings, principles and leadership of Jesus Christ.  That being said, I also am a realist, and quite down-to-earth---probably an attitude passed down to me from my grandparents who raised me.  I don't tend to spiritualize every encounter and event in my life, nor do I spiritualize every bit of writing.  I feel sometimes, that this "thinking outside the box" leads to opening up to the beautiful words of someone who may be saying something very noteworthy but not nescessarily spiritual in a religious sort of way.  That being said, ponder these words by Michael Josephson.  Now ponder your life.  I am.

What Will Matter



By Michael Josephson


Ready or not, some day it will all come to an end.


There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days. 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 expire.


The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.


It won’t matter where you came from or what side of the tracks you lived on at the end.


It won’t matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant. Even your gender and skin color 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, or 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 that live in 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.