What will outlast your life?

Every person, in every place and at every time, shares one common problem -- we are all constrained to the same 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. No more. No less. When your time is exhausted, you cannot acquire more.

The constraint of time in our lives forces us to face the reality that we cannot do everything. How, then, since we are finite creatures, do we live within the limitations of our days. The prophet Isaiah gives us some insights in writing, "But he who is noble plans noble things, and on noble things he stands" (32:8.)

First, your character matters more than your accomplishments. We tend to elevate what we get done over who we are. However, your integrity and your relationships matter more than any financial gain you may build. As a pastor, I have officiated many funerals. You can learn much about human behavior by working with people in a great hour of grief. Often people will spend time recalling stories, accomplishments and the like. However, what always stands out more than what they did is who they were and how they made others feel.

Instead of asking, "What do I want to do?" Ask, "Who do I want to be, and how do I build a life and career that enables that?" Who matters more than what.

Secondly, men and women of noble character are often the exception, not the norm. The context of Isiah 32 compares those who are refreshing to those who are exhausting. The noble contrasted with the scoundrel. Admirable men and women seem harder to find but, when discovered, are elevated. If you want to stand out, be the exception. Be a character who possesses impeccable integrity.

Lastly, what you do flows out of what you set your heart towards. One of the key lessons I took away from my high school driver's education course was "Where you look is where the car goes." The principle is true for life. Where you set your eyes, what you set your affections upon, will determine the course and direction of your life. Likewise, what you set your heart upon is where you set the works of your hands.

Noble people plan for noble things. Look for what you can give yourself to that reflect who you are, who you want to be and what will outlast your life.