What Does It Matter Anyway

As I was having a conversation with someone on the phone very recently they asked me how old my children were now. I just laughed, because you see, my children are well into adulthood with children of their own. I told the person, ”Im not sure because math has never been my favorite subject”. She thought I was joking and couldn't quite believe that I just couldn't spout their ages off as if they were 6, 10 & 12 again. My oldest (now 46) was born in 1973 I told her and my second child in 1976 and the third in 1982. Now I know that doing the math isn't terribly hard but with all the years behind me I guess I just thought that knowing their exact age didn't really matter anyway. Besides, nobody can actually tell you the exact age of Jesus when he died so what does age really matter for? It was said that he was approx 33 years old when he died but they aren't really sure. I guess my point here is that sometimes we put too much emphasis on the details and not enough on the ”main thing”. 

Now, if you were to ask me about the details of each of my children's’ lives then I could have spoken all day. I would have told you how proud I am of each one, where they are at present in their dwelling places, or how many children do they have or are they married or single. The things that matter the most to me are the things about them that I choose to recall the most. Age, well age is just a number and like I said before, I don't particularly like to do math. What I do like to do is ”mark” in my memory all of the highlights that life has had to offer. That would include the good and the bad. The good is easy but the bad moments are just as important for me because they also contribute to shaping who we become, how we’ve overcome and the strengths it has built in us as it developed our character. It all matters. 

When I think of Jesus for example, I recall his amazing birth on that glorious night. I see the maturity from a young boy in the temple speaking. I recount the eyes of a blind man opened and sight comes. There is the beautiful story of 5 thousand people having a meal because he multiplied a little boys lunch so they could eat. Then, not to ever be forgotten, the account of his death on a cross. It's hard sometimes to tell of the horrific way that he died but it matters. It matters to recall the bad part because it was actually the ”main thing” that mattered about his life. Without recalling the bad then we would tend to forget just how wonderful and miraculous the good truly was. When asked how old he was in the big scheme of his life it just doesn't seem to matter that much. Generally the age, somewhere in his mid thirties, seems to pale in importance in the glory that was his life! 

So, find the things about life that truly do matter and recall them always. Remember the good, the bad and all the in between moments that have happened to define the landscape of the portrait. How old it is seems a bit unimportant on the gallery walls of life when the big picture is the painting and the story that it illustrates. That will be the thing that captures your memories and even takes your breath when the spotlight illuminates it for all to see.

How old are my children? . . . . . Does it matter anyway?

Insight insert: Take a moment here to think about the life of someone you know. That person doesn't have to be a family member but maybe just an acquaintance. Recall all that you can about them, the good and the bad parts. Then take another few moments to pray for them. Pray that God will use the good parts of their life to enrich them and pray that he will take the bad parts and build in them priceless character traits that will also enrich them.

Scripture: Romans 12:2

”Do not copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”