I've been completely cleaning out my room the past few days. It has been exciting to rediscover bits and pieces of my life tucked into desk drawers, lying on shelves full of books, and placed up in the corners of my closet. Today I took down all my trophies, ribbons, medals, and plaques. I had some from AWANA, others from track and soccer, and still others from school. All of them were coated with a thick layer of dust and I realized I probably hadn't taken them down since the day I first put them there, shortly after I received them. It made me wonder what I was working toward all those years. Was I really concerned about receiving a plastic trophy that would sit in my closet for ten years and then get thrown away? Why do we do anything? Do we just want to be told "good job" and be recognized? Is that really all we are working towards?
These dusty trophies are proof that this kind of satisfaction cannot last. There must be a greater motivation and purpose to our lives if we ever wish to be happy because all our rewards and accomplishments will be soon forgotten. We cannot live to be recognized or remembered, but we can try to make a real difference in the world even without receiving a "job well done." I think true accomplishment comes from this not from the tops of trophies poking out of a trash bag.
