The Appian Way is an ancient road built by the Roman Empire 312 years before Christ. Today, portions of it remain, and you can walk along the ancient cobbled stones. I wonder if the Roman slave realized how long his work would last. The Mona Lisa may be the most recognizable painting ever created. Da Vinci may have spent 12 years working on it. Today, it’s over 500 years old. Did he know it would be his crowning achievement? Some things just last. But here are 3 things that will last forever.
Some things just last.
Family Lasts
The first family was created because God saw that “it was not good that man should be alone” (Genesis 2:18). He fashioned a woman from the man, and she became his helper. The two produced three children and thus formed the first family. Despite the Cain/Abel tragedy, I suspect Adam and Eve still loved their children until their final days.
Paul reminds Timothy of the legacy of faith that flowed from his grandmother and his mother, and Paul remembers his own ancestor’s faith (2 Timothy 1:3- 6). Family always passes down more than just DNA.
Friends Last
“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity,” writes Solomon in Proverbs 17:17. Social media causes us to confuse friends and contacts. A thousand Facebook friends is largely meaningless. But one close friend in real life is priceless.
A man of many companions may come to ruin,
but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
(Proverbs 18:24)
Cultivate a few close friends. Invest your time into their lives and allow them to do the same with you. Serve them sincerely, and they will surely return the blessing. At the day of death, we never regret a close friend.
Faith Lasts
More than anything else, a strong faith lasts. A strong faith in Christ will follow you through the darkest days. It will accompany you to the grave and then beyond. The Psalmist wrote these familiar words: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4). In David’s longest night of suffering, his faith bolstered his confidence. He faced death, as we all will, with a solid faith in his redeemer.
When the last pitch is thrown, when the final tackle is made, and the closing song is silenced, we are left with faith that endures beyond the grave. Ask God to build your faith. Open your eyes for the evidence of his work in your life. You will be buoyed above the greatest waves of this life.
Family, friends, and faith. One with all three is blessed indeed!