At church yesterday, Pastor Stan asked us a question that pounded on the door of my heart, threw it off the hinges and sank down deep into my core.

What are you doing now that in 20 years you will be proud of?

Think about it for a few minutes. It a serious question and serious questions deserve time for reflection.

A path in the hills of Florence, Italy.

Maybe you thought of the time you spend in the car with your niece, picking her up from school and taking her to skating practice, asking her questions about her day and filling her up with encouragement before her competitions.

Maybe you thought about the monthly meals you help prepare with your church group – meals that go to families who are living on tighter budgets and might not have the finances to splurge for the loaf of fresh French bread with garlic sauce or the ice cream with chocolate-peanut butter swirls.

Maybe it’s the late night phone calls with your brother, your best friend or that girl from class that you noticed was looking tired and depressed? Maybe it’s those hours where she could tell you what’s on her heart and all she needed was someone to listen to her…

Chances are, whatever you thought of was something that involves giving to others.

But maybe you had a hard time thinking of something that you’ll honestly be proud of, come 20 years down the road. If you can’t think of something, you don’t need to stress out or get down on yourself. Maybe you haven’t experienced a calling to really give of yourself. Maybe you haven’t thought about what it means to give, what it means to put yourself last.

Consider this verse from Philippians, because that question might pop into your head later today or sometime this week. And when you begin to question where you see yourself in this universe, maybe you’ll start to see a new perspective, one where you are not at the center, but rather a small, yet glowing planet that gives light as it orbits around a million other small planets.

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Philippians 2:3-4