Reading
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Philippians 4:8
Reflection
Pastor Mark encouraged us on Sunday to not miss the beauty of our present by worshipping the monuments of our past. He gave such a brave example of clearing out his past accomplishments to make room in his life for eulogy virtues. The kinds of things that show your character and integrity. When you think about what your legacy will be, those are eulogy worthy virtues. Maybe this is easier to do when you are in your late 50’s like us and can see that the resume virtues aren’t the things that brought true happiness.
For me, at this point in my life, I know the happiest moments I remember involve relationships. The memory of those moments also invokes emotion. I remember the feel of Mark’s hand holding mine in a movie and the consistent comfort I feel just being in his presence, or the pure joy on Noah’s face as he jumped up and down shouting “that was totally wicked!!” following a ride on a rollercoaster at Walt Disney World, or when our oldest son, John Mark, looked across the doctor’s office at me through corrected lenses for the first time at age 2 with a huge smile on his face like I was the best thing he’d ever seen. Those are the moments that have made my life so rich.
I am working on eulogy virtues each time I show someone I care with words of comfort or loving touch. Sometimes, this happens when I just smile at someone I don’t know and say, “Hi!” All of us humans sharing space on this earth are all made in the image of God. I think we forget that sometimes in pursuit of our resume virtues.
I love welcoming people into the life of our church family. While the numbers of people I help convert to church membership represent resume virtues in my line of work, the way I love and care for the people themselves represents eulogy virtues.
In closing, I want to make sure you didn’t hear what Pastor Mark wasn’t saying last Sunday. He wasn’t telling you to throw away all of your stuff. He was encouraging you to see your stuff with fresh eyes and ask yourself if you are holding onto things that are actually holding you back or even keeping you stuck in past, unhealthy patterns.
I hope you are engaging in this week’s action steps. They will make a positive difference in your life if you do them. I wanted to remind you of them since they are some of my favorites to do!
- Take a minute each evening to jot down the day’s best moment – a conversation, a meal, a hug.
- Keep a journal of happy memories, such as fun days with loved ones and moments of peace, and turn to it when stressed.
Prayer
Gracious and loving God, show me what I might be hanging onto that might be hurting me and give me the courage to let go. Show me how to make space for your preferred future in my life. Amen.
