Friday, August 18, 2006
REFLECTION ON A HOME THAT IS NOW A PARKING LOT
They tore down my childhood home. Many of you have or will have that experience. You return to a locale where you lived as a child and the home is gone. Mine is a parking lot.
Actually, the house of which I speak was only my home for 3 years. (As a PK in those days, we moved several times.) But it was a time of fond memories. And it was a great house.
Christians struggle to maintain balance in regards to material things. Like everyone else in our culture, we are bombarded by materialism and a consumer mentatility. We "want" things. We are tempted to let material things become too important, too much of a focus, too much of a demand on our hearts and resources. We become idolatrous.
On the other hand, as Christians we can adopt an unrealistic attitude that denies the significance of material goods and blessings. We can sound like none of it matters. But it does matter.
The house I lived in for 3 years and which is now gone provides a good lesson in regards to material matters. Yes, it is gone. Nothing material is eternal. Few material things last all that long. They are here today and out-dated or gone tomorrow. That car you pined away for is now dented with fading paint - or in the salvage yard. We do need to remember this truth about physical things.
But the house was important. It provided shelter. Without it, I would not have survived snowy winter days. It provided hygiene. It provided a conducive place to do my homework and get an education. It provided a conducive atmosphere for home and family life. That material building was absolutely necessary and very important.
So I thank God for my childhood home. I needed it and God provided. But I also remember that all material blessings are resources and tools for a higher good. And they pass away. Hopefully that provides balance in my relationship with material goods of life.
"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (II Corinthians 4:18)
Actually, the house of which I speak was only my home for 3 years. (As a PK in those days, we moved several times.) But it was a time of fond memories. And it was a great house.
Christians struggle to maintain balance in regards to material things. Like everyone else in our culture, we are bombarded by materialism and a consumer mentatility. We "want" things. We are tempted to let material things become too important, too much of a focus, too much of a demand on our hearts and resources. We become idolatrous.
On the other hand, as Christians we can adopt an unrealistic attitude that denies the significance of material goods and blessings. We can sound like none of it matters. But it does matter.
The house I lived in for 3 years and which is now gone provides a good lesson in regards to material matters. Yes, it is gone. Nothing material is eternal. Few material things last all that long. They are here today and out-dated or gone tomorrow. That car you pined away for is now dented with fading paint - or in the salvage yard. We do need to remember this truth about physical things.
But the house was important. It provided shelter. Without it, I would not have survived snowy winter days. It provided hygiene. It provided a conducive place to do my homework and get an education. It provided a conducive atmosphere for home and family life. That material building was absolutely necessary and very important.
So I thank God for my childhood home. I needed it and God provided. But I also remember that all material blessings are resources and tools for a higher good. And they pass away. Hopefully that provides balance in my relationship with material goods of life.
"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (II Corinthians 4:18)
