Happy Friday, Friends!
I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day as this glorious new day begins to dawn!
A friend of mine recently told me about a memorial service she had attended. During the service, one of the children of the gentleman who had passed away said, “Even though dad wasn’t physically there when we were growing up, we know he loved us in his own way.”
In Luke 14:28–31 Jesus warns of the importance of counting the cost before becoming His disciple.
28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? 29 For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30 saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’
31 “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33 In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.
The same thoughtful consideration should be given to all the critical decisions in life. A few Happy Fridays ago, I had written a message about how saying yes to one thing means saying no to something else. Are we counting the cost of the “yes” and the “no?” Do our yeses and noes align with our priorities?
So here's where my heart ultimately went when my friend shared that quote with me: What will our kids say about us at our memorial services? Is the truthful answer to that question today the answer we want? So long as we are still breathing, it is not too late to chart a different course.
Here is something else that has been on my mind a lot lately: please, think of everything you know about your great-grandparents. For the few that can think of anything, go to your great-great-grandparents. I don’t mean this as a depressing or discouraging thought, just reality. In two to three generations, our own families will know very little about us. So here is the question: what are we striving for? Through this lens, are the extra hours at work, the titles, the bigger house, etc., worth it? We can, however, touch those precious souls we will never meet through the beliefs, values, and example we set for our children today.
Look, I don’t want to tell anyone what they should think, believe, or prioritize in their lives. We all have to make our own choices and own the consequences of those choices. It is the things we consistently do that will determine the lives we live, and ultimately, how we are remembered. I want to encourage us, as Jesus did, to count the cost. One day, we will all die. People, possibly including our children, will reflect on the lives we have lived: what will they say?
Before closing, I want to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving!
Please feel free to contact me at any time if there is ever anything I can do for you. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.
Have a great day, a wonderful weekend, please cherish your precious family, and please stay well!
Kev
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