On one of those backroads is a depilated house. The white paint is chipped and fading off the wood siding. The porch is sagging and close to falling in completely. The roof has holes in it. The front door is gone and the windows are broken.
I've often thought about how excited the original owners of that home must have been as the house got built and they moved in. I wonder how many happy memories were made in that place. I wonder how many joyous occasions were shared in that home. At one time that house was a home for some family. I don't know what happened over the years. Maybe the family moved to a lager home. Maybe the owners died and the children did not have use for the home but left it on the family land.
Whatever happened that home is dilapidated. It is beyond repair. It made me think of a verse. 2 Corinthians 4:16-17 (NASB)
16 Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.
17 For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison,
The word decaying in that verse means "spoiled, corrupted, destroyed." Our bodies are slowly decaying. When we are young we do not think about this. We think we will live forever. At 49 I cannot do things like I used to. I cannot lift as much weight, run as fast or endure as long. My joints ache after physical exertion. I can tell my body is slowly decaying much like that house has done over time.
I still fight the effects of aging. I still exercise. I watch what I eat. I try to get enough sleep. Deep down I know the truth. No matter what I do this body will eventually decay. Just like that dilapidated house eventually I will die. This outer shell will wear out. That is the curse of life on planet earth. People die. Animals die. Plants die. Trees die.
Likewise anything we create or buy also breakdown over time. How many vehicles have you owned. How many remodeling projects have you overseen. How many new sets of clothes have you needed to buy. Machines break down. Materials wear out.
What is the point. While we can enjoy life on this planet we must never fail into the trap of believing that things down here are not decaying. WE WERE CREATED FOR ANOTHER WORLD. A world where nothing decays. A world where nothing dilapidates. A world beyond anything we can imagine.
It all reminds me of that only song, This World Is Not My Home. It is not. Life down here from time to time tastes just like a glass of milk I had on Saturday. I went out to the refrigerator to get a fresh gallon of milk. I opened the carton and poured the ice cold milk. One gulp and I knew something was not right. It did not taste right. I looked in the glass and noticed a thick film on the sides of the glass that did not look normal. I pulled the gallon out and looked at the expiration date. The milk expired eleven days prior. Spoiled and sour milk. Such happens in life down here.
I am thankful to God for every reminder that I should never get too comfortable with life down here and forget God created me for another world. I should never fall for the deception that comfort and possessions down here can provide the ultimate happiness I long for. That true joy can only come from God.
I am thankful for lessons learned from looking at a dilapidated house. While we should be thankful for blessings in life, we should also remember houses, clothes, vehicles and even our health will decay over time. Yes, we can enjoy them but we also need to remember that they will not last forever. Every sour experience in life is a reminder that this world is not our home. We were created for another world.
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