That is What Matters

Life, in all areas, is a matter of balance. We must balance priorities, balance responsibilities, balance our diets, balance our sleep schedule, balance our finances…It is all about keeping that balance. In the physical, tangible things, that seems to be more easily done than in those things that we cannot quite grasp and touch with our hands. So many people get caught up in the physical, the things that they can touch and feel, weigh, judge, and compare. But what really matters in life?

Starting from a very young age we are told to do our best and to try as hard as we can. There is nothing wrong with this idea. Indeed, we do need to give our all and to pour ourselves fully into everything we endeavor to undertake. We are charged in Scripture (Romans 3:17, 23-24) to work at everything with our entire hearts because it is all for the Lord and His glory. But this idea of doing our best and trying as hard as we can has become skewed. We see these verses and say that what matters is not the amount of effort that is put in, but the result that comes out. We develop this idea that, if we are to present anything to God, it must be entirely flawless and perfect. But that is not what God says. He does not say to give Him perfection. Instead, He says to give Him our all.

The word ‘all’ is a very small word, but it contains a lot within itself. All means you put your very best effort into the project you are working in. All means you do not cut corners or look for short-cuts. All means everything. All means every tiny part. All means that no matter what we may think of its worth, we give it to Him. I love the lyrics to the song “Any Other Way” by Tenth Avenue North: “It’s not enough just to say that you’re OK. I need your hurt. I need your pain. It’s not love any other way.” God doesn’t want perfection. He wants us. All of us. That means we give Him our brokenness, our frustrations, our anger, our fear, our doubts, our lies, our failures…He wants it all.

I think that some of our issue with this may come from the fact that we were originally created in God’s image. We were, at one time, perfect, because we were made like Him and He is perfect. But then sin entered the world. We could no longer attain that perfection but there is a part of us that still desires that perfection. And Satan tells us that if we do not obtain that perfection, that whatever we are is not good enough to be presented to God. But the result is not what needs to be judged. It is the effort.

When a preschooler draws a picture for their mother, does she expect it to be perfect? Does it matter if there are exactly five fingers on each of the stick figure’s hands? Does it matter that the sky is green and the grass is purple? Of course not. What matters is that they put their everything into that drawing. What matters is that they put forth their best effort. What matters is that they did their best and that they did it for her. We do not judge that preschooler’s artwork because it does not measure up to some standard of perfection. We judge the effort they put into it and the heart behind it.

So why do we judge ourselves against that unattainable perfection? Why are the things we do not good enough? Perhaps because we have forgotten what really matters. Yes, we are called to do our best in the things we do here on earth. Yes, we are called to work hard. Yes, in order to live on earth and within a society there are certain things that must be done and to a certain standard. But in the midst of all our strivings, all our efforts, all our attempts, all our hard work, have we forgotten the things that really matter? When you are 87 years old, will it really matter what your GPA was in college? When you are 65 will it really be that important if you set a school record when you were 15? A year from now, will anyone care that you might not have had the answer to a question someone asked you? Tomorrow, will it really matter what shirt you wore today?

Now I know that for those of us who are super analytical and who over think everything (that would be me…), we can come up with reasons why all of those things really do matter. If we really wanted to, we could find ways to justify all of those things. And there is nothing wrong with any of those things. Except when they cause us to lose focus of the things that truly matter.

In the bathrooms on my floor in the college dorm, our RA has posted construction paper signs with questions on them and a pen next to each one. Some of the questions are as arbitrary as who your celebrity crush is. But some are more poignant and make you think. At one point, the papers had been filled to capacity but were not replaced for a week. The girls on the floor took it upon themselves to put up new signs next to the full ones. At the top of one someone wrote: “Other than salvation, what experience shaped you the most?” Beneath the girls wrote wonderful things about missions trips, their parents getting saved, and one girl wrote about her back surgery to correct her scoliosis. But what struck me was the one at the bottom of the page. “I struggle with loneliness and feeling unloved.” One girl had written. And beneath it, in parentheses, “(still struggling)”. It sat at the bottom of the page for a day or two and then more girls added to it, and what they added touched my heart. “Talk to us. We can help. Text me if you need someone to talk to.” And then three different girls had written their phone numbers at the bottom of the page. That is what matters.

While running a Cross Country race two weeks ago I caught up to three runners from another college. One girl was having a really hard time and looked like she was not going to be able to finish the race. Her teammates came along side her, supported her between them, and continued walking along the course. After I crossed the finish line I waited to see them come in. And they did. They did not cross the finish line first. I can probably safely say that they did not make their personal record times. But they did not give up. All three girls ran across that finish line. That is what matters.

On July 19^th of this year, we had to climb five peaks of the Appalachians during the course of our 98 mile ride that day. On the second to last peak my legs refused to pedal me to the top. My teammate, Jeramy refused to leave me at the bottom and refused to let me give up. He asked if I was able to walk up. And so we walked. We had set out in June to cycle across the country. We did not bike up that peak. But we reached the top. That is what matters.

On our Women’s Cross Country team at school this year we have 11 members. But only 10 of us run. Kara had surgery on her foot in the last year and has been unable to run the entire season. But she has faithfully shown up to every practice and every race. She rides with us in the van, finds a spot to sit, and cheers louder than anyone else. She hobbles around the course on her crutches so that she can cheer us on at multiple places. She is always there in the park on Tuesday afternoons during our hardest work out of the week, sitting on her bench, screaming and yelling encouragement every time we run by. She cannot run this year. She is not breaking any records. But she is supporting her team, she is cheering us on, and she is always there. That is what matters.

While cycling through Montana sometime this last June, Samantha got a flat tire. While we sat on the side of the road patching the flat, a truck pulled over to ask if we needed any help and to see if we had what we needed. We had everything we needed. There was not anything they could do to fix the flat or to make the patching go faster. But they stopped to ask. That is what matters.

It does not matter if the end product is perfect. What matters is the process that gets you there. What matters it that you put your heart and soul into every bit of the process. What matters is that you do your best. Do not measure yourself by some unattainable standard. Do not allow the world to use such a scale on your product. Instead, put forth your best effort in everything. Take advantage of the little things. Do not strive to live life to perfection, but strive to live life to the best of your ability. That is what matters.