A LIFE OF INTEGRITY...

Someday whether we are ready or not, everything will come to an end. There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours, or days. All the things we collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else. 

Our wealth, fame and temporal power will shrink to irrelevance.
It will not matter what we owned or what we were owed. Our grudges, resentments, frustrations and jealousies will finally disappear. Also, our hopes, ambitions, plans and to-do lists will expire. The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.
It won't matter where we are from or the color of our skin, it won't matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant. Even your gender will be irrelevant.
So the question this morning is, what will matter?
How will the value of your days be measured?
What will matter is not what you bought, but what you built, not what you got, but what you gave.
What will matter is not your success, but your significance.
What will matter is about what you learned as well as what you taught.
What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage or sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others to emulate your example.
What will matter is not your competence, but your character.
What will matter is not how many people you knew, but how many felt good when they were around you and how you served them. What will matter is not your memories, but the memories that live in those who loved you.
What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what.
Living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident. It's not a matter of circumstance but of choice. Choose to live a life that matters.
Shalom.