By Rick James
“It is not what you achieve in life that matters, but who you become”. I was struck by this statement a few weeks ago in the wake of a friend’s death. Andy had certainly achieved a lot in terms of leading various organisations and churches, but in the end what mattered most was who he had become. He gave a short talk ‘In thin air’ after his diagnosis with a brain tumour, in which he said that in one sense a terminal illness changes nothing – after all we are all going to die one day.
He said, the choices we face today are the same as ever:
Are we going to follow Jesus today? Walking with him and looking for direction and guidance.
If so, then we choose to recognise God’s goodness every day, not give in to despair, darkness or discouragement.
Making these simple choices influenced who Andy became.
As I consider the week ahead, Andy’s example challenges me about where I put my attention:
Am I more focusing on what I achieve, the tasks ahead of me this week in my to-do list?
Or do I need to focus more on who I am becoming? How do I deliberately choose hope over fear?
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Who I am influences what I do. There is no dichotomy. It’s not one or the other. We have a twofold purpose of being and doing. We can’t separate one from the other. Walking a path of faith means we strive align our bring and doing with His Will; by obedience to His Covenant and by following the Examples He has provided. For me, Romans 12 speaks to this.
Very well said. Thank you for this thoughtful comment. If you want to write a follow-up Weekly Thought on this topic, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. Thanks!