This is a competitive world and we often quantify our success by the things we acquire, the positions we hold and the number of “zeros” in our bank account. We measure. It is an important aspect of life. Jesus even encourages it when he tells this parable.
“For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’
Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace.” (Luke 14:28–32)
Measuring our lives, taking inventory of what we have is prudent. However, some of the most important aspects of life are hard to measure.
How do you measure the impact you’ve had on another person? Perhaps your influence in the life of a young person, a colleague or friend was a critical yet, hard-to-quantify aspect of their success. Maybe you were there for someone when they desperately needed your encouragement.
Here at Canterbury we have quantitative things we measure. We count meals served, meetings held, rooms rented and more. There are the financial reports giving us details on the operation. We look at the assets in terms of buildings, land and resources (appliances, AV equipment etc.) that make Canterbury run. The Canterbury Board and Staff, as stewards look at those details regularly. But there are many more ways to measure Canterbury’s impact that you simply cannot put on a spread-sheet.
It is hard to measure the impact on a person’s life when they are welcomed, encouraged and loved while being at Canterbury. It is hard to know how the world will be changed when someone attends a seminar, learns a principle or truth and then goes out and changes the world in some manner.
People have an opportunity to sharpen their lives; their vocations, families, relationships, community, faith when they attend an event at Canterbury. You can be a part of that work when you are a Canterbury Partner.
Reflect: When you examine your life, your family, your work; How do you measure your success, your progress? What are the quantitative things you can measure? How about the intangibles, the qualitative things you do that are so meaningful? How might you measure your impact in these areas?
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