The Coin of Mattering

I first saw the phrase “The Coin of Mattering” over 10 years ago in a Harvard Business Review article by Umair Haque. In my opinion, the concept of mattering is an important component of life. We are here to matter and make a difference. The ‘coin of mattering’ is the currency that values how we have existed and spent time on earth.

It is a responsibility to live a life that matters. To transform, create, build, experience, and do what matters; be what matters. Live a vital life. This is not just for the sake of our own self-gratification, but for the enduring obligation of fulfilling the privilege of life and serving those around us. Live life so well it will infuse our personal lives as well as our professional lives. It will show in our faces and in our voices. There will be something unique and magical about us.

Mattering is investing in what we profess to care about, love, and value. It is the essence of what it means to be human, the true purpose and reason for what we do. We should fill our lives to the very brim. Experience all we possibly can. Don’t miss the game, the performance, the opportunity to mentor or comfort, anything – including funerals.

The coin of mattering cannot be purchased. It is not reflected in our paycheck, bank account, corner office, sports car, or house. It is an investment of time, energy, attention, and passion in relationships; all components of a life well lived. The capacity to dream, wonder, imagine, create, build, transform, better, and love.

The greatest asset on the mattering ledger is love; one person caring for another. Invest and inspire family and our inner circle. It’s the special bond with our closest ‘people’ that makes us strong. Friends are those wonderful people who know all about us and still like us. We love so we notice, care, appreciate, and are dependable. Posting this on Father’s Day recognizes how much my Dad lived this conviction and, in turn, how much he mattered to others.

There is a little known Rascal Flatts song, Things That Matter, that juxtaposes things that matter against things that don’t. This group has a history of songs that speak to my heart. Family and love matter more than other things that only distract us. The choice is ours.

Thomas Merton said, “Love is our true destiny. We do not find the meaning of life by ourselves alone – we find it with another.” Knowing this and living it are not the same. To matter cannot be a mere passing idyllic infatuation or fascination, but must be an enduring, intense passion. A life that matters can demand a lot. Breakthrough after heartache; accomplishment and jubilation over the anguish, a more difficult journey with a truer north. When mattering comes last, we either go through the motions of our lives or worse, leverage others for our own benefit.

The Bible offers many insights into mattering. St Paul’s letters convey his discovery of the “coin of mattering.” He writes in his letter to the Galatians (2:20), “where yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me; insofar as I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who has loved me and given himself up for me.” Then he advises the Ephesians that it is in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for (1:11–12), “In him we were also chosen, destined in accord with the purpose of the One who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will, so that we might exist for the praise of his glory, we who first hoped in Christ.” Again, in chapter 2, verse 10, “For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them.”

He has put us in a position to contribute to the success of wherever we are and with whomever. He has given us the opportunity to love and serve those around us and to do it with excellence for His glory. He has given us the means and opportunity to matter. It means everything to have loved in our humanity through God’s grace.

It is our responsibility to live lives that matter. Not just for our sake or even those around us, but for His sake and eternal salvation. To transform, create, build, and experience His plan. We must be what matters.

 

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