1 Peter 5:1-4

Francis Collins, the Director of the National Institute of Health, gave the commencement address at Southern Methodist University a few years ago. In that address, he mentioned the difference between what political commentator David Brooks calls resume virtues and eulogy virtues. Resume virtues are the things you put on a job application, resume, or CV. Eulogy virtues are the things people will say about you when your work on earth ends. Resume virtues tell the things you did to advance yourself, your position, and your finances. Eulogy virtues tell not only how you handled your successes but also your failures, not only how you treated your peers and coworkers, but how you treated your spouse and children. Collins asked a question to those graduates that we ought to ask ourselves, “Are you spending your time on resume virtues or are you spending your time on eulogy virtues?”