Jesus said, “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and yet loses his own soul?” – Matt.16:26
That’s a very good question to ask any American these days. We are the busiest people on the face of the earth. If we aren’t doing something, we’ll find something to do!
But wait a minute. Is all our going, and doing, and buying and selling getting us where we want to be? Neil Simon in his Broadway play, Plaza Suite, has a couple returning each year to their honeymoon suite at the Plaza Hotel for a “renewal honeymoon.” The couple has been married many years now, and the husband has built great corporations, made millions and become very powerful. Yet, they are not happy. He especially is not satisfied.
When his wife asks him, “What would it take to make you happy? What is it you want to do?” The husband walks over to the penthouse window looking out over New York and says with great passion, “God, I’d like to do it all again.” I see the emptiness in that, don’t you?
That brings us to the question: “If you get where you’re going will you like where you’re at?” The answer is no; if you are in pursuit of the wrong values.
King Solomon remarked in Ecclesiastes, “What does a man do after he becomes King?” He answered his own question by saying, “All is vanity.”
What are you about? What does your daily routine look like? You can learn a lot about a persons values by asking a few simple questions:
- Where do you spend your money? Look at your check book.
- Where do you spend your time? Look at your date book.
- Who do you spend time with? Look at your relationships.
Look at your checkbook
All of us are trying to survive in this period of economic recession. However, just a few years ago we Americans were in the midst of an unprecedented economic “boom.” The Bulls were running Wall
Street and Americans were spending their newly acquired wealth. What did you acquire that you don’t really need? Perhaps you got what you wanted, but now do you like what you have? Our check book is a true reflection of our values. It reveals what we are “attached to.”
Look at Your Date book
Where are you spending your time? Have you spent this valuable commodity on business and pleasures to the neglect of people and things that should get your prime time interests? It is a tragedy
to get far down the road, and look back not knowing how you got where you are, and not liking where you are. Many a father has seen his children grow up without giving them the time and attention they needed. Sometimes we just need to stop, look at that date book and start eliminating that which should be eliminated, and write in that which needs to be there. We need time with God, time with our family, and time to for self to refresh and grow.
Look at Your Relationships
One of the best things I ever did as a father was to call my daughter when I’d been out of town several days, and make a date with her. She had three brothers who got lots of my attention, but
those dates from time to time let her know how special she was to her Dad. Have you looked at your relationships lately, and seen the neglect, or the lack of depth in them. Learning to nurture the
precious relationships God gives us is a valuable thing. Find where you have not given your best time and heart to the best people, and purpose to change that. Do it now.
I ask again, If you get where you are going, will you like where you’re at?
