No Regrets

“Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom.” Psalm 90:12

Most of us think of life as a line segment. The segment begins at the point of birth and ends with a second point, death. At best, the segment will be 90 or more years long. But life is not a line segment. If you’re following the geometry analogy, it’s actually a ray. Like the line segment, it begins at the point of birth, but life continues beyond the second point into eternity. What happens between the two points has a significant impact on where we will spend eternity and the legacy we will leave behind. 

I used to think about things like, “What can I accomplish in the short time I am here? How can I make a difference?” And  “How will people remember me?” But the more trips I make around the sun and the more time I spend growing in my walk with God, the more I realize that I’m just not that big of a deal. Yes, I have an important role to play in the lives of those God has placed in my sphere of influence, but this brief life is not about what I can accomplish or what I will leave behind. It's about Jesus. 

The real question is not, “How will I be remembered?” Rather, “Did I make Him known?” Not “What did I accomplish? But “Did I do what God wanted me to do?” Even 90 years is a brief segment compared to the eternal life which belongs to God’s children. Like the psalmist, I pray that I, too, would realize the brevity of life so that I may grow in wisdom and someday step into eternity having left behind no regrets.