SeanDareOnline.com

I get a lot of “those” emails. You know the ones I mean. The “If you forward this on to 10 people in ten minutes…” type of emails. Normally they are deleted without being read. On the other hand, I typically sit up and take notice of any email with an attachment. As an IT guy I want to know if there are new potential threats, and as a user I like to see funny viral videos and Power Point presentations. But when you trick me by sending one of “those” emails disguised as a power point I end up clicking the delete button with an indignant intensity that endangers the longevity of my keyboard. (I hit it hard)

Only once, once mind you, has one of “those” emails made my finger pause over the delete button long enough to keep reading. The message? 10 things God won’t ask you when you go before him, e.g. judgement day. In reality the list is only nine items long. The tenth item is “God won’t ask you how many people you forwarded this to, he already knows.” which is really just another plea to forward the email. The remaining nine items gave me pause and made me think. I would like to share them with my faithful readers, minus the odd fantasy book cover design background images.

1. God won’t ask what kind of car you drove. He’ll ask how many people you drove who didn’t have transportation.
2. God won’t ask the square footage of your house. He’ll ask how many people you welcomed into your home.
3. God won’t ask about the clothes you had in your closet. He’ll ask how many you helped to clothe.
4. God won’t ask what your highest salary was. He’ll ask if you compromised your character to obtain it.
5. God won’t ask what your job title was. He’ll ask if you performed your job to the best of your ability.
6. God won’t ask how many friends you had. He’ll ask how many people to whom you were a friend.
7. God won’t ask in what neighborhood you lived. He’ll ask how you treated your neighbors.
8. God won’t ask about the color of your skin. He’ll ask about the content of your character.
9. God won’t ask why it took you so long to seek Salvation. He’ll lovingly take you to your mansion in heaven, and not to the gates of Hell.

Notice a theme? God is not interested in material things. I know I get caught up in what kind of car I drive, and what type of house I have. I worry about how much money I am going to make, and on more than one occasion, I am not proud to say, I have compromised my character in an effort to obtain a better position or to get an object that I desired. I imagine that if you look closely at your lives many of you can find yourself in this list just as I have.

This email gave me a chance to reflect once again at how much I have changed since I turned my life over to God two years ago. Prior to that I would have written a long cynical diatribe about how God doesn’t care, if he even exists, and that pieces of junk like this need to be scoured off the face of the earth for the betterment of society. I was a pretty sick person.

Now I look upon this list o’ nine and marvel at how my focus has changed. Yeah, I still get excited over purchasing a Wii or an iPhone, but the happiness that endures day to day comes from my close relationship with God. I have that close relationship by reading scripture, attending church and a small group, and through prayer.

I also look at this list and see how our culture has lied to us. How many of you believe that if you buy that car, or get that promotion, or if you could just make more money, that you would truly be happy? If you watch TV at all, and you believe what they tell you, then you probably do. I guess I am lucky. I learned early, before destroying the things that are important, like my marriage and my integrity, that those things aren’t really important. My relationship with God, followed by a strong relationship with the people who share my life with me, are what is truly important.

What is important to you?

- Sean