What Will You Leave Behind?

By David Faust

Are you familiar with the term WOMBAT? It refers to issues that are a “Waste Of Money, Brains, And Time.” I don’t want to fritter my life away on trifling matters like WOMBATs. May I share with you three short stories that remind me to focus on what matters most?  

Discarded Trophies 

The first story is about garbage. (Yes, garbage.) My wife Candy and I took a walk on the evening when we and our neighbors put trash out for collection the next morning. To be clear, I usually don’t pay attention to anyone’s garbage, but the trash in front of one house was impossible to ignore. Someone was throwing away boxes full of trophies.  

I told Candy, “Whoever lives here must have been quite an athlete!” The discarded trophies represented several sports: basketball, bowling, softball, and golf. It’s embarrassing to admit, but for a moment I was tempted to grab some trophies and take them home. (They would have looked impressive on my shelves!) I resisted the urge, but I couldn’t help wondering why all those hard-earned awards were now in the trash.  

Did the athletes grow old, it was time to downsize, and those awards were taking up too much space? Or did the trophy-winners die, and now their adult children had to clean out the house?  

Leftover Post-It Notes 

This next story stirs strong emotions in me, so I will keep it short. Several years ago, a trusted coworker died suddenly without warning. One day we met to plan an event we expected to lead together, and the next morning he was gone. 

Grief-stricken, I returned from the hospital where he died and sat down at my friend’s desk. It was covered with Post-It notes—little reminders he had written about things he planned to do. Gazing at his notes, I recalled how the Bible says, “You do not even know what will happen tomorrow” (James 4:14).  

Hunter the Punter 

Recently Hunter Smith spoke at a lunch for business leaders at our church. He played football at Notre Dame, then he was a punter and placekick holder for 12 years in the NFL, including 10 for the Indianapolis Colts, earning a Super Bowl ring with the Colts in 2007.  

Hunter recalls how the next day after the Super Bowl win, reporters asked, “Can the Colts repeat and win it again next year?” He thought, “Wait a minute. Can we repeat? We just won. Can’t we just stop and celebrate this one?” He realized, “There are things in life that last. And this is not one of them.”  

Smith’s football career ended abruptly in December 2010 when the Washington Redskins cut him after he botched an extra point attempt. His team trailed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 17–16 with nine seconds to play in the fourth quarter, but the snap passed through Smith’s hands as he held for the kicker, and the Redskins lost the game.   

“That was the final play of my career, really anticlimactic,” he said. “In fact, that would be tragic in the world’s eyes, especially after playing football my whole life. It was tough, but I grew through it. In fact, it had more impact on me than any success.” After retiring from football, he and his wife have focused on bringing up their four children and running what he calls a “regenerative farm” and a market where customers buy meat, eggs, and other homegrown products (wondertreefarm.com).  

Hunter wrote a book called The Jersey Effect that explores how athletes can use their platform—the “jersey” they wear—to make a positive impact. While some athletes succumb to pride and materialism, others reflect glory back to God.  

What Matters Most? 

These three stories—discarded trophies, left-behind Post-It notes, the Super Bowl winner who runs a family farm—motivate me to ask, “In the big picture, what goals are worth pursuing? What trophies are worth keeping?” Remember this line in the hymn, “The Old Rugged Cross”? “I will cling to the old rugged cross, till my trophies at last I lay down.”  

Someday we will lay down our WOMBATs and our treasured accomplishments. What will matter most then? Clinging to Christ and the cross. 

David Faust serves as contributing editor of Christian Standard and senior associate minister with East 91^st Street Christian Church in Indianapolis, Indiana. He is the author of Not Too Old: Turning Your Later Years into Greater Years.