What Really Counts

The stupid and the senseless alike perish
And leave their wealth to others.
¹¹Their inner thought is that their houses are forever
And their dwelling places to all generations;
They have called their lands after their own names.
¹²But man in his pomp will not endure;
He is like the beasts that perish.

Psalm 49:10-12

The believers here in Uganda understand this truth.  The average lifespan for a Ugandan male is somewhere around 42 years of age.  My pastor friends here live with a sense of urgency. They understand that you can’t take anything with you.  They understand that the pomp, accolades, treasures and recognition of this life will not endure.

My buddy, Dave Hickman of CharlotteONE, said the other day, “No matter how ‘good’ you once were, you are a matter of years away from people never even knowing you ‘were.'” He’s exactly right.  So, why is it that we spend so much time, energy, and effort in accumulating stuff, in gaining recognition, in subconsciously thinking that this life and things in it will somehow last forever?  When the hard truth is that, when you’re dead and gone, eventually, no one will remember that you were ever here.  Now, if that truth incites feelings of pointlessness or meaninglessness, you’re perspective might be off.  Because what it does for me is it gives me perspective.  It helps me understand what really matters–that the mark we leave must be the one that is left in eternity.  Only the things we do that count for eternity will ever count at all.