A few days ago, my wife and I entered a store, and we chuckled as we observed a sight we had seen many times before – a man comfortably seated on furniture for sale, reading a book. We presumed, and I believe with great accuracy, that he was waiting for his wife while she shopped at the said store.
My wife then turned to me and asked me, “For husbands, is going shopping with your wife that painful?”
Husbands would know that these kinds of questions can be tricky.
I replied, “It’s probably just as painful as wives going to play a round of golf or watching the ballgame with their husbands.”
Mic drop.
The reality is that we all have different value systems. Some things are important and valuable to us, while others are not as important or even unimportant. However, our values also change over time and are influenced by those around us. Shopping is not one of my favorite things to do. But I’ll do it on occasion with my wife because I value her happiness. And she is happy if I accompany her. However, I have to look like I’m enjoying it!
Long-lasting success in life requires that we develop a proper value system. If we mistakenly assign value to things, experiences, hopes, relationships, and goals that are not really valuable, it will lead to disappointment, disillusionment, and even hopelessness.
Here are a few keys to consider to develop a proper value system:
- Don’t only think of present gratification. The pleasure of sin is only for a season. Think of the lasting impact of your priorities and choices on your future and on those you love.
- Don’t only place value on tangible things. Value learning, growth, knowledge, and wisdom. Be willing to spend on a good book, conference, or retreat where life-changing messages will be imparted, transforming your life, inspiring you to greatness, and giving you sound direction.
- Don’t diminish the value of relationships. We were created for relationships, first with God and people. A value system that prioritizes this will yield great results and provide lasting fulfillment without regrets. Too often, this truth is only realized at the end of life or the end of someone else’s life.
Jesus challenged us to consider our value system when He asked the sobering question in Mark 8:36 – For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
So, assess wisely and assign value where real value exists. You don’t want to be shortchanged. Develop a proper value system!