HEARTLIGHT(R) Magazine: Special Feature: Five Years From Now

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Humility and Church Softball…
Any of you who play sports will appreciate this little tidbit. I play on my church softball team. One of the lessons we learned today is humility. I must point out that our record this season was not anything I'd write a special letter home about. However, we all are out to have fun and fellowship with other believers. Anyway, we are playing in the end of season tournament this week and we got romped on!!! Thank goodness it was double elimination.

To the point…
I have been consistently working on improving my temperament in competitive situations. Tonight, I blew it! Sometimes I have to be reminded that it’s only a game. I forgot that for a minute tonight.
We sometimes make the same mistake in the game of Life. We go out day after day and try to do better than the day before. When we don’t, we get down on ourselves. Guess what… most of the time we can honestly say, “Who Cares?!!”
Now I don’t mean we should not care or go out and try to do worse. I don’t mean we should ignore our mistakes. But really, is some of this stuff we get so preoccupied with or so upset about all that important?

Knowing the difference…
To help me know the difference, I’ve started doing something to help me put it all in perspective. I ask, “Is this really going to matter five years from now?” Try it! It works pretty well doesn’t it!

“When we lose, and I strike out, a billion people in China don’t care.”
—Baseball great,
Reggie Jackson

Whatever it is you are facing, is it really going to matter five years from now? If it is, then by all means do whatever you have to do that's legal, moral, and ethical to get it taken care of. In fact, it’s probably morally or ethically necessary to fix the problem if it’s really going to matter five years from now.
But if it isn’t going to matter five years from now, then think about the consequences of your response! Sometimes we react as if the whole world is riding on this one little irritating thing when in the big picture it doesn't really matter at all. Sometimes we waste way too much time and unnecessarily hurt other people by not letting go of a mistake we’ve made.

Putting it into practice…
So when an “I blew it” issue comes your way, or when you’re making too big a deal out of something that’s just a game, ask yourself: “Is this going to matter five years from now?” If the response is no, then chill out and put everything into perspective. I guarantee you will be happier and you’ll find yourself focusing on the things that really matter!
Have a great life… that matters five years from now!