Landmarks
I enjoy traveling briefly from home. It’s always pretty cool to see landmarks that have been around for years. It’s neat to think about the people who’ve gone on before who also were also here at the same place. Landmarks often have historical significance to us because of some events that took place there. Other landmarks are maybe not famous, but at the same time has a lot of significance to me. A while back I went to Kentucky for a visit at the house and community where I grew up. Some of the old buildings that were once landmarks were gone. I remember seeing the church I grew up in – where I first remember learning about God. I remember seeing the old house we grew up in and even seeing my room. The memories were really flooding my mind.
I realize now that while landmarks have significance as I reflect on my past, I must not get too involved or stuck in their presence. They do however represent part of my journey.
As I read about the exile of Judah to Babylon I realized that life as those people once knew it under King David & King Solomon was now gone. Check this out…
9 He set fire to the temple of the Lord, the royal palace and all the houses of Jerusalem. Every important building he burned down. 10 The whole Babylonian army under the commander of the imperial guard broke down the walls around Jerusalem. 11 Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard carried into exile the people who remained in the city, along with the rest of the populace and those who had deserted to the king of Babylon. 12 But the commander left behind some of the poorest people of the land to work the vineyards and fields. (2 Kings 25:9-12 NIV)
I was thinking about the stories that these buildings could tell. This destruction took place NOT for new development; Jerusalem was being left desolate and destroyed. As I reflect back through the journey of scripture, this could have been avoided. The leaders of Jerusalem basically “spit in the face of God” with their egregious behavior and ignored God’s will for His people.
I also thought about the house I live in now. This house has some significance to my walk with the Lord as well as the journey of my kids. I guess at the end of all this reflection, I realize that none of the landmarks I’ve been thinking of are eternal. Everything I see and touch is temporary. I want to keep proper perspective on landmarks. When I surrendered my heart and life to the Lord – that was a distinctive landmark in my soul – a day changed the significance of everything else. I would rather leave a legacy behind that get caught up in saving a landmark.
Pressing On!
Dwayne