I know it sounds crazy but I’m really going to do it – give away everything I own.

But it’s really no big deal because, guess what, you’re going to do the same thing. And so is everyone you know. As they say, “You can’t take it with you.”

One day, everything we’ve worked hard for will be handed over to someone else. And for many of us, it will be our kids who pack up our treasures to be hauled off while asking each other, “Why did Dad keep all this junk?”

So, here’s my thought: It’s no big deal to leave all my “stuff” behind. I don’t have a choice in that. But, am I also choosing to leave behind anything of real value? Will my family, my friends, my coworkers, my neighbors – will the world be a better place because I passed through it?

And here’s an even crazier thought: The world is so messed up right now that it really doesn’t take a lot of effort to make it a better place.

I don’t have to find a cure for cancer or end global hunger. Simply a word of encouragement instead of criticism or cynicism, a word of hope instead of complaining or gloom can make a difference.

I don’t have to be terribly smart or witty to do that. It doesn’t even take a lot of effort. So many people stumble through life in such a fog of “quiet desperation” that often just listening – slowing down and truly listening – will make their world a better place.

I can make the world a better place if I’ll simply curb my ego, take my eyes off me and realize that those around me are real people, most have real problems and, even if I can’t solve their problems, just letting them know someone cares can make a world of difference.

When we’re born, we are crying and everyone else is rejoicing. I want to live in such as way that when I die, I am rejoicing and everyone else is crying.

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Philippians 2:3,4 (NLT)
Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.