Maybe it’s the fact that I am rapidly approaching another birthday that life seems to be taking on a bit more urgency.  Not just from a time perspective, but a legacy perspective as well.  These thoughts were triggered to an even greater degree as I read a review of a new book authored by the daughter of a famous CEO in which she reveals a cold and cruel side of her dad the world never knew.  From just about every worldly standard he was the epitome of success.  To a daughter who just wanted to be loved, he was anything but.

That gets me to wondering: what is the world selling me as a successful life?  And how does that match  up with God’s plan?  These are critical questions for all of us to grapple with, but so few of us do.  I’m convinced a big reason we avoid the subject is the fact that the everyday world keeps us occupied with just about everything but the stark realization that we are all given such a brief time on this earth.  The world crowds that out, but God’s word beautifully reminds us that we are all like a mist (James 4:14), a passing shadow (Psalm 144:4), and falling flowers. (I Peter 1:24)

There’s a part of me, and I’m sure it’s the same with you, that bears a certain sadness from these reminders of our innate frailty.  Yet we can take comfort in knowing everything is made beautiful in His time, and He has set eternity in our hearts. (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

The same One who knits us together in the womb is the same One who lovingly reminds us He knows all our days in advance. (Psalm 139:16) How we invest those days is up to us.

I’m writing this as an encouragement to you to invest your life in something bigger than the evening news, grander than the next election cycle, and more profound than your career path or retirement savings.  All around us is a world where the weak are stepped on and abused, including children in the womb, women pressured into choices they never wanted to make, and tens of millions of women and men struggling in the aftermath of abortion decisions.  The world says stay away – this is controversial.  Or it pre-packages everything into neatly divided boxes with political labels.

I think Jesus would gently remind us it’s really about choosing to love every mom and every baby, no matter what.

Invest your life into what really matters.