Monuments and Life

July 12 (Matthew 6:19-20)

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.  (ESV)

Our family loves history, and we recently visited the battle grounds of Antietam and Gettysburg and numerous sites in Philadelphia.  As we visited the cemetery that held the grave of Benjamin Franklin and other founders of our nation, I noticed something.  Just two hundred fifty years after they were established, many of the stones were so worn by the elements that they were illegible.  Once deeply carved notations of life had nearly vanished or had in some places disappeared.

I pointed this out to our children, and we reflected on these words of Jesus.  Monuments and memorials are important to help us celebrate and remember our history.  They serve a function for those who follow.  Yet for the people whose lives they mark, they hold no meaning whatsoever.  Stones crumble.  Metal rusts.  As hard as it may for us to conceive, even the names of Washington, Franklin, and Jefferson will one day be forgotten.

There is nothing like the fallen remnants of the past to remind us of the glorious future that can be ours in Christ Jesus.  Nothing can separate us from the love of God says Scripture, and nothing can diminish the brilliance of eternal life with Him.  That, and that alone, is worth the focus of our life.

Lord, do not let me get caught up in the honors and things of this world.  It is so easy to think that what my effort can accomplish and what my money can buy are of some sort of genuine value.  Help me to remember with every breath that my true honor rests with You.  In the name of Jesus, my Lord and Savior, amen.

Copyright © 2015 by Steven R. Perkins