The Measure of Accomplishment

           A few years ago, Warren  Buffett led a discussion amongst some of his closest friends. The premise they were pondering was from Andrew Carnegie—“He who dies rich dies disgraced.” The group dialoguing the subject contained some of the richest people in the world.
            When he had the opportunity to speak, Bill Gates asked an important question, “Shouldn’t the measure of accomplishment be how many lives you can save with a given amount of money?”

            Gates was referring to physical lives, and his question makes a valid point. I believe, however, the more profound question is this: shouldn’t the measure of accomplishment be how many spiritual lives you can save with a given amount of money?”

            After all, Jesus once said, “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” (Mark 8:36.)

            If all this world has to offer one’s physical life is ultimately not enough, then clearly anything less will not be sufficient either.

            For this reason, I believe we need to reassess our emphasis on helping people. If all we offer the world is the physical (which is never enough), and we never get around to addressing the spiritual needs of people, what have we accomplished? 

Source: THE SNOWBALL by Alice Schroeder