During the funeral, I looked around the church in the town I had left a quarter century before. I felt as though I was in a time warp. Many of the people were the same, just a bit grayer. The people of the church provided me with comfort and a sense of continuity.
The parable and the trip to my hometown remind me of what makes life magical: people. In a world tormented by materialism, our focus needs to change, from the material to the personal. Creating value for people should be our goal – touching human lives specifically and individually. This creation of value leads to personal satisfaction and then monetary rewards.
Instead, many have reversed the cycle, focusing on the monetary reward as the way to get personal satisfaction, and trying to buy additional value rather than build additional value. We have made the mistake of taking the outcome of the process too seriously – like the priest and the Levite – focusing on the material rewards rather than the process of living. Instead, we should focus on the process of creating value of others.
When life seems to speed up – we need to slow down, and refocus on people rather than events, and value rather than money. Creating value for people is what life is all about.
As I drove back from Carrollton to my home in Atlanta, I thought about Tracy Stallings, and the importance of pillars in our community and cried. He took time on his journey through life to stop, and help others in need.
Jackie Gingrich Cushman
Jackie Gingrich Cushman is a speaker, syndicated columnist, socialpreneur, and author of "The Essential American: 25 Documents and Speeches Every American Should Own," and co-author of “The 5 Principles for a Successful Life: From Our Family to Yours”.