I hope you were able to take the day off yesterday and eat some really unhealthy meat cooked outside! I know I did. We roasted some brats over an open fire (and no, I’m not talking of the kind of brats from my previous post.) I also got to attend Word of Life’s Memorial Day Rally at the Jack Wyrtzen Center in Pottersville, NY.
Earlier this year, my grandfather passed away. I don’t know if it was that, or news of our soldiers fighting every day, or what, but I really thought hard about memorials this year. Last Saturday night, Harry Bollback (one of the founders of Word of Life) spoke about the difference between memorials and monuments. Monuments are simply an indication of something that has happened in the past. Not, the present, not the future, but in the past. Memorials on the other hand are different: they’re living. They remember the past, but continue on into the future. They shape the present and the future.
That’s what we mean when we talk about remembering our veterans. We don’t want to erect a monument to them and then let it go. We want the memory of them to shape our present and our future. We want to be thankful.
For my grandfather, we had a memorial service. We heard stories, looked at pictures, touched items that were dear to him and hugged people he loved. When I think of my grandfather, it makes me want to be a harder worker. It makes me want to laugh more and care about people more. That’s who he was and my memories of him are shaping me today.
So what about in our ministries? We certainly don’t want to erect monuments because that means our ministries are dead. But do we need memorials? Memorials play an important part in scripture. For instance, check out Joshua 4:1-6. The point of the memorial is to remember the past and let it shape the future. We need these in our ministries.
One way I do this is through an “encouragement” folder I keep on my computer. Anytime a student sends an encouraging thought or a testimony of how God ministered to them through me, I put in the folder. When God does amazing stuff like provide money out of nowhere or save someone I never thought possible, I put it in there. They’re my memorials. Sometimes the present is dark. Sometimes the future is bleak. And when those times come, I need my memorials. They remind me of how awesome God is, how He never fails, how He’s always sovereign. They shape me.
So what are your memorials? Do you have some? Have you written them down? I know it takes some time, but hey, at least you don’t have to pile up 12 huge rocks! And, it’ll be worth it.
