Recently, I was sitting on my couch thinking about my upcoming fiftieth birthday and what we would do to celebrate it. I recently moved from Canada to the Netherlands, and I was missing my own family and friends. I now have a new loving family and wonderful friends surrounding me, I am safe and living in a beautiful country, and I have a beautiful garden where some of God's creatures visit me daily — the birds, the stray cats, the hedgehog, the butterflies, and the bees — and I thought, Wow! I am blessed. I am grateful!

But then, I started to reflect: What have I accomplished in my five decades? That got me thinking about the contrast between my paltry achievements and the effect that Jesus had in only thirty-three years.

Matthew 9:35-36 – Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. (NIV)

What can we do to make a lasting impact in our lifetime in this world, preparing us for our eternal world? Can we have compassion for others? Can we take time to speak to people we meet and spread the good news of our Lord? Can we take time out of our day to speak to Him and pray to Him? Jesus was always busy with many things, teaching people, praying with them, healing them, eating with them, and being with them.

Let us try to be more like Jesus daily and realize that it's not the number of years that we have in this world, but it's the impact that we leave on it as we prepare ourselves for eternity. Let us be good to others and kind to God's creation, so that those who follow us can enjoy all that we accomplished while they are here on earth.

Prayer: Dear Lord, help us to humble ourselves daily, not thinking only of ourselves, but of all those around us. Help us to make their lives better. Help us daily to prepare, knowing that in the end, we will be with You, our eternal Father, in Your glorious house where the beauty and splendour is unimaginable. Amen.

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About the author:

Donna Arcieri <donna.arcieri@gmail.com>
South Holland, Netherlands
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