Is it time to clear out your inbox?

I spent some of the long weekend clearing out my email by going back and deleting newsletters and messages from subscriber lists that were more than three years old.

Amongst these were lots of commentaries and opinion pieces dealing with the political issues of the day. Pretty much without exception, these issues (some of which went back to the early days of the Key government) dealt with what seemed at the time to be weighty matters of significant importance to the economy and society – all accompanied with dire warnings of the consequences of some of the actions being proposed and measures taken, or not taken.

But here’s the thing – very few of them now matter.

Things that captivated the nation at the time and seemed like hills on which to take a stand – now just seem like they were pointless distractions to things that really mattered. New laws and policies which were going to destroy the fabric of our nation – didn’t. Instead, they’ve simply disappeared to make room for new issues to divide us – along with the people who fronted them, most of whom are no longer even part of the political landscape.

That’s not to say that there aren’t things we should be passionate about – but that we need to use discernment in determining what those things are. I’ve been as guilty, as anyone, of jumping on the issues which I thought defined the future and using my keyboard as a kind of sword with which to strike down evil (as I saw it) – but most of the causes I championed have long since disappeared into the mists of time and the world has carried on, oblivious to such trivia.

So, whether you’re a warrior for the pseudo-science of carbon-induced climate change; a doe-eyed advocate for the kind of ‘social justice’ that requires sacrifice of everyone but yourself; an advocate of the thinly veiled racism that eschews using a name borne of these islands to describe our nation, in favour of the name of a Dutchman who never actually touched these lands; or you’re convinced that the vaccine for what turned out to be a bad strain of flu is actually a global conspiracy to clear out large sections of humanity – I can promise you that none of these things will ultimately matter.

Beyond the stuff that directly affects you, your family, your ability to put food on the table and a roof over your head – the rest of it won’t advance humanity one jot.

Why? Because the Creator of that humanity says so. In the end, you’ll stand before Him and be asked to give an account of your life – and He won’t have concern for any of the things that dominate our headlines. He’ll simply want to know how you lived, what you did for others, how devotedly you shared His message, and the extent to which you followed His clear instructions.

The rest is just dross.

Maybe it’s time to clear out YOUR inbox?