A Humbling Look at What (and Who) Really Matter

As a society, we’re enthralled with the rich and famous, the accomplished and powerful. Yet are those people the ones that are truly important, whose lives matter to us over the long run?

 

The 'Peanuts' gang
(Wikipedia image)

Many of us remember Charles Schulz, creator of the iconic “Peanuts” comic strip in 1950. Schulz died in 2000, but the humor and wisdom of Charlie Brown & Co. are enjoyed to this day through syndicated reruns. A famed individual himself, the cartoonist put things into perspective when he said, “The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most rewards. They simply are the ones who care the most.”

For proof, Schulz suggested doing something like the following: Name the five wealthiest people in the world. The last five Heisman Trophy winners. The last five winners of the Miss America pageant. Name 10 people who have won the Nobel Prize or the Pulitzer Prize. The last half-dozen Academy Award winners in the best actor/best actress categories. The last decade’s Cy Young winners in baseball.

 

Were you successful in naming these acclaimed individuals? Even half of them, or just a handful? We might have recognized them at the moment they were being honored, but awards are soon forgotten. Their names are replaced by the ones who succeed them, as their own will the next year. As for the wealthy, when was the last time you saw a hearse pulling a U-Haul trailer?

 

King Solomon, who had more than his share of fame, wealth, and power, observed perhaps cynically, “There is no remembrance of men of old, and even those who are yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow” (Ecclesiastes 1:11). 

 

Reflecting on his many accomplishments, Solomon added this personal appraisal: “Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 2:11).

 

Getting back to Charles Schulz and his “reality check” on who and what are genuinely important, he also suggested compiling a different set of lists: List a few teachers who contributed to your journey through school and/or college. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with. 

 

I’m guessing names of people in the second group came to your mind with little hesitation, right? Teachers who made a difference in our lives; friends who readily responded when needed; individuals who pointed us to important truths. These are the truly important people, the ones who have mattered to us. As Schulz said, “the ones who care the most.”

 

My wife and I have been watching “American Idol.” It’s interesting to watch talented young people displaying their vocal chops in hopes of fame and fortune. And yet, over its 22 seasons, how many winners can you name? Who were the first five to be named “Idol”? Who were the last five? What about the runners-up – how many of those can you name without Googling them?

 

There’s nothing wrong with setting lofty goals and striving for excellence. But it’s wrong to confuse fame and acclaim with importance. Aside from entertaining you, what has your favorite singer really done for you? Your favorite athlete – how has he or she made your life better?

 

But think of that person who faithfully pointed you to Jesus Christ. Or the individual who was instrumental in your spiritual growth. Or that friend whose shoulder you cried on during a particularly difficult time in your life. Or that someone who saw something special in you that you didn’t see in yourself. Those are the folks who are really important – at least for you.

 

Proverbs 17:17 says, “A friend loves for all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” We all need people like that in our lives, mutually beneficial relationships in which we can “spur one another on toward love and good deeds,” as Hebrews 10:24 describes it.

We should all seek out – and seek to become – people who are not remembered for fleeting accolades and fading headlines, but for godly lives and their enduring impact in the lives of others. As Solomon also wrote, maybe when he was in a better frame of mind, “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise” (Proverbs 11:30).