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“I devoted myself to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. . . .I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” Ecclesiastes 1:13-14

We had gone back as we sometimes do to pay our respects at the old family cemetery plot where our parents, grandparents, and other relatives and ancestors have been laid to rest over the years. It was just my brother Richard and me that particular day.   We were mostly chatting about pleasant memories as we roamed among the various grave markers when Richard suddenly stopped, looked around and made a remark I’ll never forget.   Some in our family, he observed pointing to certain names, have simply vanished as if they had never existed leaving no meaningful legacy of any kind, while others, pointing toward other names, have left indelible footprints that continue to influence our lives as well as the generations beyond our own. Why the difference?  Those who had simply vanished, we concluded, had spent their lives chasing after the wind, absorbed in themselves and their own worldly desires. Those who had left the indelible footprints, on the other hand, had a mission and purpose beyond themselves. That was the difference.

King Solomon, purportedly the wisest man who ever lived and notably the richest and most powerful person of his day, reported the same conclusion some three thousand years ago in a profound essay known as the Book of Ecclesiastes. But Solomon didn’t learn this by simply observing others; rather it was the result of his own self-reflection, for he was a man of tremendous knowledge, unheard of achievements, and enormous wealth.   We would say “he had it all”, for he had tried, tested, and tasted almost everything the world had to offer. Yet, in spite of his great accomplishments and worldly experiences “all of them are meaningless,” he concluded, “a chasing after the wind” – that is, unless we make the right choice, as he points out toward the end of his essay. Are we in it for ourselves, or are we here on assignment from God? One is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. But the other leaves an indelible footprint influencing generations to come.

My brother’s observation that day has haunted me ever since with one challenging question, “What choice will I make today?” . . . . . What choice will you make?

“That the generations to come might know, and the children yet unborn; that they in their turn might tell it to their children . . .” – Psalm 78:6 

One of the greatest challenges facing leaders is to replace themselves, training others to become leaders. Russ Crosson, CEO of Ronald Blue and Company, writes in detail about this subject in his book What Makes a Leader Great.   In a nutshell, he says, the very purpose of leadership is this: “We lead in order to replace ourselves.” To explain further he says that “at the end of the day we’re not successful leaders unless we have successors. If we don’t replace ourselves, whatever we’re leading will end when we retire or die.” Therefore, one of the best tests of our leadership is our willingness and ability to train another for our position.

No story in human history offers a stronger example than the story of the Exodus. Moses had been prepared and called by God to lead the Israelites out of Egyptian bondage and into the Promised Land. But Moses was old and only able to take his people so far on their journey. He made an excellent decision, though, when he chose Joshua as his assistant. That choice was later confirmed by God himself when he instructed Moses to commission Joshua as his successor. Joshua had been “shadowing” Moses for years. He was, in fact, the only person allowed to accompany Moses partway up the mountain when he received the law. Joshua’s basic training was living with Moses – experiencing firsthand what it meant to lead God’s people. It was modeling at its best.

“Our graveyards are full of indispensable men,” the late French President Charles de Gaulle once said, referring to men and women who falsely believe they cannot be replaced; thus with no forethought about the next generation.

So what about us? Are we preparing our children and grandchild to follow in our footsteps, to carry on as the leaders of their families, communities, businesses and organizations – not to mention the nation and the world? Are we leading to replace ourselves? Are we leading so “that the generations to come might know, and the children yet unborn; that they in their turn might tell it to their children . . .”?

“A cheerful look brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones.”

Proverbs 15:30 

My friend Steve, who is one of the most gracious men I know, has a certain routine when he dines in a restaurant. When the wait person arrives at the table the first thing Steve does is ask his or her name, then engages them in friendly conversation. I’ve seen him do it time and again, and knowing Steve as I do, he is sincere about the way he treats them, recognizing them as valuable human beings — which is the way he treats everyone. Another thing about Steve is that he keeps a stash of cash in his pocket, apart from his regular spending money, designated to help anyone he encounters who might be in need. But more than that, just as he does with wait staff in a restaurant, he always takes time to engage that needy person in friendly conversation. Why? Steve genuinely cares.

Mother Teresa once said, “Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.” I make no claim to being anything like my friend Steve, and I am certainly no Mother Teresa, but I am trying to learn from their examples and slowly making some progress. Allow me to share a recent series of experiences.

On a recent trip to Chicago to visit family Tee and I had three separate encounters with strangers, all three of whom, as we discovered, happened to be in need of a caring smile and a friendly voice. The first was a fellow traveler in the gate area at the Dallas airport who happened to be a lone tourist from Kenya visiting the U.S. The second was the agent at the car rental counter in Chicago who had just had an altercation with a rude customer. And the third was a lady who sat next to us on our return trip to Texas, a Chicago native who had recently been transferred to Texas by her company and knew no one. She was homesick and lonely. All we did was be nice, smile, and engage them in friendly conversation. Like Steve, we simply showed them that we genuinely cared.

Another quote from Mother Teresa: “Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.” Or as the writer of Proverbs says, “A cheerful look brings joy to the heart.” And it brings joy to the heart of the giver as well.

“Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again.”

• Ecclesiastes 11:1 

A young rich man once questioned Jesus about what he must do to gain eternal life. Jesus responded by telling him he lacked one thing, that he must sell all his possessions and give the proceeds to the poor. But scriptures tell us, “When the man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.” 

It was not until I read Robert Kiyosaki’s book Rich Dad Poor Dad that I began to understand the meaning of Jesus’ encounter with the rich young man. The story goes something like this: Kiyosaki had two father figures in his life, his “rich dad” who was his best friend’s father, and his “poor dad” who was his real father – although he was not actually poor. In the book he explains the contrast between his two fathers in their attitude toward money, the rich dad being a successful entrepreneur while the poor dad worked for a salary, although a quite comfortable wage. But the difference was that the rich dad viewed money, all things in life actually, as being abundantly available whether or not he possessed it at any given point in time. His poor dad, on the other hand, viewed money as scarce, even though he earned a rather large salary. “Rich Dad” had faith that given the abundance of creation he had the ability to produce wealth through hard work and his God given ingenuity. “Poor Dad”, however, was dependent on others to pay his wages. And because of his faith “Rich Dad” was able to share generously with others, while “Poor Dad” gave only sparingly for fear of having nothing left from his limited resources.

“Rich Dad” was not rich because he always had money, nor was “Poor Dad” poor because he was always broke. Instead, “Rich Dad” was rich because he had faith, while “Poor Dad” was poor because – like the rich young man – he lacked faith. “Rich Dad” lived out the proverb from Ecclesiastes: “Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again.” And that is what Jesus had hoped for the rich young man he had encountered. We are not called to hold back and play it safe, but to invest in life through faith; for that is the path to true riches.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” – Romans 8:28 

Remember in the movie “City Slickers” that great scene when Mitch the city slicker asked the crusty old cowboy Curly about the secret to life? That’s where the punchline to the whole story occurs, when Curly answers by simply holding up his index finger. “You mean it’s your finger?” Mitch says with a puzzled expression. “No,” Curly responds, “it’s one thing.” “But what is it?” Mitch presses on, to which Curly replies, “That’s what you’ve got to figure out.”

Thoreau once observed that “the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” Or to put it more bluntly, the sad truth is that the majority of humans sleepwalk through life, reacting to what comes along rather than living with a sense of meaning and purpose. To Mitch’s credit in the movie he had at least figured that much out, that he lacked meaning and purpose in his own life, and joining the cattle drive was part of his quest to figure that out. Curly gave him a hint, “it’s one thing . . . [and] that’s what you’ve got to figure out.”

I recall a time in my own life being on that same quest as Mitch to find meaning and purpose, that one thing, trying a lot of different things in the process – albeit not quite as adventurous as the running of the bulls in Pamplona or driving cattle in Montana like Mitch – but nonetheless searching for the same thing. Then one day I read Jesus’ words in John 15:16. “You did not choose me,” he said, “but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last.” Ah-ha I realized, the true purpose in my life, that one thing for me at least, is to bear fruit in all things I do. That was it!

Dr. Viktor Frankl, Holocaust survivor, famed psychiatrist, and author of the classic book Man’s Search for Meaning said this: “Until we recognize that life is not just something to be enjoyed rather than a task that each of us is assigned, we’ll never find meaning in our lives and will never be truly happy.” And that one thing cannot be just about us. Instead it must have a higher purpose, a calling “according to His purpose,” not our own. And therein lies the real secret to life, for Mitch and for all of us.