“In my book, success is succession. . . . If your influence ends with you, it wasn’t worth your time and effort. Your life is a dead end. But if you influence the next generation, you won’t just enter eternity when you die. You will live on in the lives of those you leave behind.”- Mark Batterson (emphasis author’s)
Mark Batterson concludes Chapter 16 of A Trip around the Sun with his observation that age is more than a state of body. Rather, age is a state of mind, a state of spirit. And the true beauty of aging consists of a profound appreciation for the faithfulness of God. A faithfulness of God that becomes crystal clear.
Therefore, as Mark reflects on his life, he defines himself as more than his name, occupation, degrees, dreams, and family. Most significantly, he is who he was. Hence, his footprints reveal his soulprint. In addition, Mark stresses, our ability to remember the past enables us to imagine the future.
Thus, to remember God’s faithfulness fuels our future faith. As a result, your story is really God’s story. And your history = His-story, with a hyphen in it. Consequently, God writes His story through your life. So, Pastor Batterson shares a personal conviction:
“I honestly believe that everybody has a book in them. I’m not talking about a sci-fi novel or a nonfiction how-to. But you have an autobiography in you. I know you do. And you owe it to the next generation to write your autobiography in some form or fashion. It doesn’t matter how long or short is it; you’ve got to pass along the hard-earned lessons life has taught you.”
In conclusion, Mark sees the hymn ‘Great is Thy Faithfulness’ as more than generic praise for a static character trait. For just like God’s faithfulness, every moment of your life is unique. Because every memory testifies to God’s dynamic faithfulness. At the same time, He is the same and different for anyone and everyone.
Today’s question: Do you believe that success is succession? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Touched by the eternal”
