A Life That Matters – February 17, 2002
Most of us want to know that our life matters—that we’re doing something worthwhile, that we’re not just existing. Across time immemorial, this quest for significance has inspired us to live better lives.
Harold Kushner wisely notes that most people aren’t afraid of dying; they’re afraid of not having lived—not having found purpose or meaning beyond the present moment. Rabbi Kushner writes that living a life that matters brings us a type of immortality: “I find it in the work I have done, the acts of kindness I have performed, the love I have given and the love I have received, the people who will smile when they remember me, and the children and grandchildren through whom my name and memory will be perpetuated.”1
Most people who live a life that matters for good rarely make headlines. Often they play a quieter role in the grand pageant of life. Quietly, with good hearts and willing hands they make a meaningful difference. They’re kind and compassionate. They care about others and forge strong relationships. They love and forgive. They seek God’s guidance and draw upon His strength. “For whoso who findeth [God] findeth life,”2
A life that matters for good is full of purpose and hope. People who strive to live such a life find that love and goodness are stronger than death. They live on in the hearts and memories of generations yet unborn. Our life matters. If we give of ourselves, show kindness, and proffer mercy, our life matters for good. And our goodness and influence never die. As the Talmud records, “A good person, even in death is still alive.”
Program #3783
1. Harold S. Kushner, Living a Life That Matters (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2001), 157.
2. Proverbs 8:35.
3. Kushner, 158.