Christian Living

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What REALLY Matters?

I live an extremely ordered life. I make lists, following them to the letter without deviating from them. Doing so, I oftentimes, miss out on the things that really matter.

A friend of mine, I'll call Terry, recently suffered through the end of her engagement. She'd called on a Wednesday afternoon to cancel our planned lunch date for me to meet her fiance. Questioning her briefly, I discovered something had gone terribly wrong, but what, I didn't know for sure.

My schedule is a busy one, spent most of the time in front of this computer screen, turning out as many quality manuscripts I can in a day's time. My profession is one of freelance writer -- something often taking me to different worlds, whether because of research or becoming so involved with the project that I forget to thank God for the people who support my chosen profession. One person is Terry.

When I'd learned of her situation, I felt deeply saddened. I worried about her -- not that she would've done something to harm herself but sad she'd been so devastated. As a result, I couldn't put words on the page no matter how hard I tried. Nothing made sense. Nothing was good enough. All my thoughts were of Terry and what I'd say to her when we finally had the chance to talk. Nothing else mattered but Terry.

Days ago, we shared some intimate and special time together. She works at my favorite bookstore. I arrived extra early in hopes of seeing her before her workday began. Our eyes met through the gated front door. She pushed a button behind the counter opening the gate, allowing me to enter. No words were necessary. We embraced for what seemed an eternity. And it seemed as if she absorbed what strength and support I offered through my embrace. And yet, I found myself receiving the same from her. Because I'm constantly busy working on some writing project or other, I never stopped to realize how unhappy I was in my own relationship. Embracing Terry, I struck a revelation. She claims I'm "insightful", sometimes scaring her because I know of her pain before she does. And yet, in the moment I took to comfort her, she, whether she knew it or not, comforted me more than I can ever recall being comforted. I discovered then how precious relationships are, and how they require time -- time to heal and be nurtured.

What REALLY matters? Thanking God for sending people to share our lives long the journey matters. Spending time with those we love whether or not words are spoken matters. Saying "I love you" matters.

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