Life Lesson 1 - What People Want

I wrote the following post many months ago, but I've never posted it because there wasn't a time that really felt appropriate. In light of recent events, I think now is the right time to share this. I hope this helps you, the audience, and my deepest sympathies go out to the Byrd, Dunn, and Robertson families. These are trying times, and I can't even scrape the surface on what you all are going through. May the peace of Christ rest upon you.

Much love,

Matt

            Shai Linne wrote, “To share some of the things that I’ve learned is a must / ‘Cause in just a little while, I’ll return to the dust / And the top concern in me is to reach you with a lesson / As I watch eternity bleed into the present.” I would like to share something that I’ve learned, something that will benefit you for the rest of your life.

            During Christmas Break of 2010, I traveled with my mom, my brother, my sister-in-law, and my niece to North Carolina to see my grandparents. The plan was to hang out for a few days like we always do, maybe visit Chapel Hill, and hit up a few of the local restaurants with my aunts and uncles. However, there was a hitch in our plan; my grandfather, in his mid-seventies, underwent major shoulder surgery just twelve days before we arrived. Thus, his upper body mobility and strength were limited. Also, traveling in crowds or large groups was not an option; if someone accidentally bumped into his shoulder and caused more damage to the already stressed tissues, he would be in immediate, severe pain.

            I did not realize that this had the potential to be a source of conflict. After all, trips to Granddaddy’s are always relaxing and thoroughly enjoyable. Then it happened. My brother and I discovered that the men’s basketball team was playing in the Dean Dome while we were in Raleigh. Being lifelong Carolina fans, we freaked out. Neither one of us had ever seen a men’s game in person. Granted, the Heels were facing William & Mary, but the opportunity to see Roy Williams coach a game in the Dean Dome was enticing. We figured thirty bucks would be worth it, even if we were in the nosebleeds.

            So, the conflict I did not expect had manifested itself. We wanted to see the game with our grandfather, but due to the state of his shoulder, his attendance was not possible. We wanted to see the game because we had never seen one before, but that would mean leaving our grandfather behind, which would be flat-out ignorant because the whole purpose of the trip was to visit him. Decisions, decisions…

            Despite our deepest desires to see the Tarheels play, we elected to stay at the house and watch the game on TV. Admittedly, it was a lot more fun yelling at the TV and switching between the basketball game and a hockey game than it probably would have been in an arena with a few thousand complete strangers.

            In 2 Corinthians, Paul writes, “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (4:18). In his second letter, Peter tells us that the “day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare” (3:10). How urgent is that? Do I live my life by those words? Do you? Knowing that everything, even my body, will one day cease to exist, and knowing that I have absolutely no clue when “one day” is, time becomes one of the most valuable things God has given us. Tomorrow is not promised.

            Here is the lesson I have learned, a lesson that I hope changes your worldview for the better. People do not want your money. They do not want your car. They do not want your clothes. They do not want your house. They do not want your food. They do not want your stuff. People want your time.