I want to finish well.
Corrie Ten Boom’s quote, “The measure of a life, after all, is not its duration, but its donation”, contains a great deal of wisdom. I suppose in some ways I have fallen short of making a better “donation” to the important things in life because I was more focused on my career rather than those I care about. But like I said, I want to finish well.
In August of 1990, I was deeply impacted by a man I never met. While on a house hunting to trip to Columbia, Maryland, a bedroom community between Baltimore and Washington DC, we walked into the real estate office we were working with and found everyone in tears. Clearly, something had happened. Michael Spear, the developer of the planned community of Columbia, had perished in a plane crash along with his wife and one of his four daughters. The community of Columbia was devastated. For the next few days the newspapers were filled with stories about this incredible visionary businessman. One of the articles featured a story about an interview with Mr. Spear. A reporter had stated, “Mr. Spear, you have been incredibly successful. You must really love your job!” to which Mr. Spear replied, “I like my job and save my love for my family” … wow!
Thirty years later that phrase still impacts me, “Like your job and save your love for your family.” How many times have I failed at that? More than I care to admit. I never intended to be neglectful of those I cared about, but I was. Learning that few people care about you once you leave a job you poured all of your time and energy into is a hard lesson and, for me, took many years to learn. Meanwhile, friends and family continue to love you and simply want more of you in their lives. That is a donation to the lives of others. That’s love.
The Bible has a few things to say about the priority of caring for your loved ones …
- A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need. – Proverbs 17:17 (NLT)
- Honor your father and mother. Love your neighbor as yourself. – Matthew 19:19 (NLT)
- Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. – Colossians 3:13 (NLT)
- Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. – Galatians 6:2 (NLT)
- Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. – Hebrews 10:24-25 (NLT)
- Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay. – 1 Peter 4:8-9 (NLT)
- Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. – Ephesians 4:2-3 (NLT)
I want to finish well. When my time on earth is done I don’t want my tombstone to say how hard I worked, I simply want it to say “She Loved.”
Simple Faith 