Will It Matter?

On Sunday afternoon , Vic and I went for a hike up our mountain. It was a beautiful day and we hiked for a couple of hours. I was sooo pleased that I was able to do it virtually without pain ! (for those of you who may wonder, I have rheumatoid arthritis - it makes me grateful for things you may take for granted !)
Come see .... through my eyes .... the mountain path....

the wild flowers......


the wooden stairs......


and the view of the valley through the trees.
It was cool when we started and so I took my favorite light jacket. I soon took it off and Vic carried it tucked into the back of his back pack.
It was only after we got home and I wanted to hang up my jacket that we realized it was gone - it must have slipped out of the backpack strap and fallen onto the path. Although my husband immediately backtracked our hike and went back again the next day ... it was no where to be found.
It was strange , since we had not seen a single other person on the mountain. We knew the last place we had seen it - he moved it to get at his camera.
Maybe an animal took it home to their nest or den?

I was sorry to lose my jacket but it was just a jacket.

Yesterday I was talking to a lady from our complex and in our conversation she told me about her close friend who had lost her dog. This friend had never had children and she loved her dog. One day it was accidently killed by a passing car. She was devestated and declared her life was over! She fell apart and sought the care of a psychologist. It took her 15 long years to get over the loss of her dog.

I was thinking about the loss of my jacket , this woman's loss of her dog and I thought about how people prioritize the events of their lives. I thought about some people we knew who were recently enjoying a quiet Sunday afternoon. Their teenage son went out to ride his dirt bike and he never came home. He was accidentally hit and killed by a passing vehicle.

We have all heard the catch phrase "don't sweat the small stuff". Did you ever consider that that phrase is really non-sensical in itself ?
What constitutes 'small stuff' ? What is small stuff to one person may be life or death to another. I once had a friend who could magnify the smallest problem into a major catastrophe !

Without a standard of measurement, the importance or triviality of our experiences are relevant to what extent we react emotionally. Someone may say, "As long as my family is together nothing else is important." or "As long as I have enough money I am OK."

Is that good enough? or is there a better way to measure and evaluate our experiences ?

I was reminded of Paul and the standard he lived by.
He said,
1Co 2:2 "For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified."
Paul's standard of measurement was ... "How does it compare to what I have in Christ? How will it affect eternity ? "

I often ask myself the question when something goes contrary to my expectations.... "Will it matter a year from now ? a month from now? "

A better question would be "How will this affect eternity ? Will it matter? What will I feel like 10 or 50 years from now when I stand on the other side of life? Will I be filled with joy or will I regret my standard of measure? "

It is sooo easy to be caught up in the things of this life, but we have another life waiting for us .. and if we belong to the family of God ... the best is yet to come !!

How much time do you spend getting ready ? How much energy or emotion is wasted on packing trivial daily 'stuff' that you will never need or value in eternity ?

Mat 6:19 -21 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."