Invest Your Time in Things that have Eternal Significance

Recently, I had the chance to talk with an old friend of mine. I had mentioned on social media how we should Invest our time in things that have eternal significance. Her question was: What has eternal significance? In her experience, everything is temporary. It was a great question, so I thought I would talk a little about it here.

I believe in life after this one, which has eternal significance. However, even for people who don't believe as I do, there are still things that have eternal significance. The results of our actions in this life can last long past when we are no longer here. The things we say and do carry a lot of weight. Life is definitely temporary, but the world will continue on long after you and I am gone. I hope that I am leaving people and places in a better way than when I found them. The things we do in this life, the things we invest most of our time in, will have a lasting impact on future generations. I think that's pretty significant.

Love Your Neighbor As Yourself...No Exceptions

When asked what the greatest commandment was, Jesus said, "The most important one is this: 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.^' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."(Mark 12: 29-31) Simple, right?

It really does sound that simple. He basically told everyone to love God and love everyone else. All this time since his death has passed, and I would say many of us still have a lot to work on. Loving your neighbors is easy when you like your neighbors. However, loving your neighbor is not as easy when he or she is not particularly likeable. I think everyone has a story about their "bad neighbor" that no one could get along with, but we are called to love that person as well. We love to justify why it is okay to not like that person, but when Jesus spoke, he did not include any exceptions. He never said love everyone except for so and so.

Just this past week, I spent some time talking with a friend about funeral arrangements for her mother. Her mother and father lived in one state. She lives on the opposite end of the country, and the arrangements were being made in their hometown, which is in a third state. We were talking things through when she told me her dad wanted to have the mother's celebration of life in a pizza parlor. For the life of me, I could not understand why a pizza parlor. I thought perhaps her mother loved pizza, but she told me that was not the case. Her dad was not able to make arrangements with a church or church people in their hometown because she is transgender.

I could not believe what I heard. No one would help them. Where was the compassion? Shame on those churches and those who call themselves followers of Christ, but refused to help them in any way. When you choose hatred, discrimination, and intolerance over compassion, you are clearly on the wrong path. It breaks my heart that their family was turned away.

The hallmarks of our faith are supposed to be love, compassion, kindness, and acceptance. Yet, there is a pretty substantial amount of Christians who do not live this way. We should be about building longer tables, not taller fences. Unfortunately, experience tells me there are far too many fence builders out there. When a church stops welcoming people in and focuses on keeping people out, it is no longer a church, it is nothing more than a social club. This is completely unacceptable.

Best Day Ever

2018 was a challenging year for me. I didn't do much blogging or teach many lessons. I wrote a couple of books, and I still often talked with people about trying to live life to the fullest. But if I am being completely honest, I don't think I was living my best life very often in 2018. Moreover, the end of 2018 was incredibly difficult.

Right before Thanksgiving, a friend of mine suddenly lost his son. He was just a little boy, not much older than my own. His death affected a lot of people. They are a well-known family loved by many in the community. What I didn't know then was something his son used to say would stick with so many people and teach them to live each day to the fullest extent possible.

When they would go on adventures, trips, or just do something really fun, his son would say it was "the best day ever." When they were preparing his memorial, they printed "Best Day Ever" on shirts. It was also in all of their social media posts. Many people learned this in a small amount of time and what it meant, and many people I know hold this phrase in their heart. Several times a week, I see someone talking about having another "Best Day Ever" moment. It's really awesome.

People from all walks of life talk about this now, and everyone knows what it means. Young people, old people, rich, poor, and everyone in between are trying to live their best life and are talking about another "Best Day Ever." It really is a beautiful thing. For many, it simply means to enjoy the little things, tell people you love them, being present in the moment, and making the most of your time while you are alive.

Life is too short and unpredictable to live any other way. It's too easy to get caught up in the repetition, routines, and busyness of life. Don't get so caught up in the busyness of day to day life that you forget what makes life worth living. Nothing is guaranteed, not even tomorrow. Every day that we are alive is a blessing. Try every day to make it the "Best Day Ever."