Tuesday (3/31/2015)

Thought for the Day:

Sometimes in the darkness of my soul, I feel like a failure.  I haven’t done the things that I dreamed that I would.  I haven’t accomplished everything on “my list.”  I haven’t even lived up to my own expectations.  Instead of breaking the tape as I run across the finish line, I struggle to keep running.  I stumble. I fall.

Have you ever felt like that?  We usually don’t want to sit too quietly and spend too much time thinking otherwise we might go there.  Instead we fill our life with busyness, activity, and noise so we never have time to stop and think. 

Most of us will never be remembered for the grand work we have accomplished or the milestones we’ve reached.  Most of us will never walk the “Red Carpet” of fame or have our face on the cover of Time magazine.  We won’t have our picture featured on a box of Wheaties, win an Olympic medal, or be remembered in the Guinness’ Book of World Records.  Very few of us will be remembered in the next history book being published.  “Okay, class.  Who can tell me what important thing Steven Hurd did in 2015?”  Probably not going the happen!

Let’s face it, in twenty years most of us won’t be remembered except by our grandchildren.  After that, nobody will know anything about what we have done and how we have lived our daily lives. Does this mean we are failures?

Looking at the failures, flaws and limitations in our lives to determine our value or self-worth is only looking at half of the picture of who we are.  There are many positive aspects of our lives that we can easily overlook, sometimes we aren’t even aware of what we’ve accomplished.  And actually the things that should count the most are often overlooked or discounted; yet those things are the most lasting legacy that we leave behind.

Have you brought joy to someone’s life?  Have you been a role model or encouraged anyone to take a step forward outside of their comfort zone?  Have you demonstrated love, service, or commitment in tangible ways?  Are you special to at least one other person?

As I wrote that last line I thought, “What about a person who is truly all alone in the world and doesn’t have friend or family?  Is that person worthless?”  No! Because God watches over them and God Himself cares about them—so therefore, everyone is valuable. This also applies to those who are physically or mentally disabled.  Our society may think that they are of less value; but God doesn’t.  The truth is it doesn’t even matter if WE think we are worthless or of little value because God treasures us and values us as an individual; therefore we matter!

If I would enter a marathon, I wouldn’t have to be the first one across the line to feel good about myself.  If I crossed the finish line at all, I would be ecstatic.  With my current physical limitations even trying would be a victory for me, even if I never came close to completing the race.  As long as I tried and did the best I could do, I would be a winner in my own eyes.  It is the same thing with life and whatever we are facing.  It really doesn’t matter if you came in first place.  It is how you fought the battle.  Did you keep trying?  Did you give your best effort? 

There are people who avoid their High School reunions because they don’t feel like they achieved anything and are embarrassed to go back and have others evaluate and judge them.  But life isn’t a competition about who came in first and therefore everyone else is a loser.  We aren’t running the race of life against other people.  We only run the race and compete against ourselves.  No one else is able to judge us fairly.  We, ourselves, are the only person competent and capable of judging how we did. 

And there is one thing that we must remember.  The race we run isn’t over until we take our final breath.  So don’t give up.  Never give in.  If you stumble and fall along the way.  Get up, dust yourself off, and keep running the race as best you are able.  Keep running the race that is set before you.