A Hill of Beans

“I don’t like beans, Mom!” My son and daughter swore they did not like beans of any kind as kids. Green beans, navy beans, pinto beans…none. I always reasoned, “how can you know whether you like a food until you try it?”

The determination is made by tasting, then stating. Resolved to have a taste test, I made a pot of pinto “soup” beans. With sprite in one hand and a spoon in the other—ever so carefully—the kids put one pinto bean in their mouth.

Chewing and swallowing with unpleasant faces, gulping a drink lickety-split. “I don’t like beans!” Well then! Now we know…Megan and Caleb do not like beans. There are types of beans I do not like…

We bicker over trivial issues that amount to a mere hill of beans. Anxious thoughts about problems we discover were not worth a hill of beans. Beans—equating to virtually nothing in the grand scheme of life.

My friend Debbie teaches at a university. Insightful, she was relaying how people in the academic world have letters of abbreviations that follow their name. College degrees, titles, certifications in a field of study or credentials indicating the position they hold or want. She recognizes these achievements as meaningful in her academic world and in our world at large, but meaningless in the eternal world.

Titles and credentials such as MD, PhD, RN, CPA, MBA and CEO bring well-deserved merit to names and recognition to people. The background of such achievements is hard-working and diligent people—no mere hill of beans.

Because it is a great deal of effort, I want the full credit for holding a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications in my professional arena. In writing, if one day I am blessed to list a book title and release date after my name, I will be grateful for the honor. Like most aspirations, writing is hard work.

The pursuit of academic studies and credentials is commendable. While they are honorable in this life, they are temporary earthly accolades. This life quickly fades. In our last moments of life, titles that follow our name in the present will fade ever-so-quickly in the future.

Titles won’t amount to a hill of beans at the end of our life. We may leave a legacy of honor for our family or field, still there will be no eternal value. While I did not list my friend’s full name or titles (and she has them,) she wanted this identity to follow her name; Debbie, GOD’S (she belongs to him.)

My sister-in-law, Michele (she has titles that follow her name too,) reminds friends and family to consider all things in an eternal perspective. Does this really matter in light of eternity? Sometimes it does, often it does not. Credentials that bring eternal significance will amount to a lot more than a mere hill of beans.

I aspire to reach all degree levels of study from the University of Eternal Significance:

• Associate’s Degree: an Associate of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God.
• Bachelor’s Degree: BA, graduate of the Blessed Assurance Program (Jesus is mine.)
• Master’s Degree: MA, graduate of the Master’s Advancement Program. Christ becomes greater, I become less.
• PhD: A doctoral study in the existence of heaven and relaying the philosophy of truth to others, a recruiting program for the university.

Don’t let your life focus only be about mere beans. We have a hill country awaiting us with much richer and exquisite delicacies.

“For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing forth in valleys and hills; a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey; a land where you will eat food without scarcity, in which you will not lack anything….” Deuteronomy 8:7-9

Oh friends! Taste and see that the Lord is good! (Psalm 34:8)

 

© 2014 by Karen Friday