Echoes in Eternity

It depends on your definition of success.

The world defines success as how much money you have in the bank. On social media, it’s defined by how many followers you have. On the streets we define it as how much influence you have.

But is that really part of a successful life? I can’t help but think of the army of actors, actresses, politicians, movers and shakers who have what we call success, and yet have the failure of their relationships paraded across the internet and magazines of the world.

Is that success? If so, it’s a funny definition of the word.

When we talk about this topic, I always flash to an old episode of the Waltons. John Walton, the father had been voted the man most likely to succeed. And now it’s a class reunion. His classmates have left Walton’s Mountain. One is famous actress. Another a highly regarded banker. Ohers in positions of extreme wealth or responsibility or fame.

And here he is. The man most likely to succeed. He’s still on the mountain. He never left. He works hard for the family he’s has. And he’s wondering what his classmates are going to say.

What they had to say was a total suprise to him.

Despite everything they had, they wanted his life. They wanted the peace. The quiet. The Family and Community he lived in and through.

So, the first tip is this. Define success for yourself. The world hasn’t a clue what that is so it forces what it thinks that definition is on us. It’s a little like the blind leading the blind. The Word of God warns us they’ll both end up in a ditch.

Now, if you’re asking my definition, here it is.

Love. Love the people around you. And that’s not only family, but a constantly changing sea of humanity moving around us. Treat them all with respect and yes, Love.

Don’t wallow in your pain. Wallowing is for pigs, and once you start, you’ll never leave the mud. There’s a world out there to live in. Get out there.

And don’t take this world too seriously. It’s a joke with one heck of a punchline. And that punchline is this. Everyone comes into it with nothing to their name. They work to accumulate stuff. And they leave it with nothing. The only human being who ever had a shot at taking it all with him was old King Tut, and guess what! Twenty bucks will buy you a ticket to see the things he didn’t take along.

Since you can’t take it with you, is it imporant.

Take and make the things that matter in eternity.

Five billion years from now, our Sun will die. When it does, it will swell up into what we call a Red Giant. It will consume Mercury. It will devour Venus. It may or may not destroy the Earth in the fire. But one thing is certain. None of our works and riches will survive as if they’d still be around after five billion years.

But a smile? A kind word? A dollar in the right place. Those things can and do change people. You make the world a little bit better of a place with them.

That’s the stuff that will echo in eternity.

And doesn’t that sound like success?