Cornerstones have been around for centuries. It's the ceremonious first stone that is laid straight and firm, so that the rest of the structure is not built wonky and the building comes tumbling down in the first storm. In the more recent years this cornerstone has morphed into something not quite as important to the foundation. It has become, especially in churches, a place to stash memories for future generations.
Every few years my father would grab a crow bar and open the time capsule that was located above the foundation in the church I attended from baptism through marriage. Officially it was called the cornerstone, but when you are a young girl.. all you cared about was what was the treasures in it. As my father would open it the papers and pictures inside would come to the light. The ladies would then fix up some fancy display as no doubt people would be coming to celebrate the legacy of faith this building had had a part in. This particular cornerstone told the story of the people in the church, and how God had bonded them together through one thing.. a building. Several years ago this church closed and the cornerstone was emptied and packed away. This particular building's cornerstone stands empty.
Pride. The thing God hates. The thing inside all of us that can alienate us from all that God desires. The pride that says.. I don't trust you enough God to do this so I will do it myself. Pride that says, I'm scared of living another way, so I'll sit here in this chaos instead. Pride that says, if anyone knew this about me, they wouldn't like me. Pride that builds life structures on appearances that the world can look at and say "Wow.. look what you did." Pride that says, look what God did on the outside, but on the inside screams "Wow, i'm amazing." Subtle pride that infiltrates your thoughts is still pride. If pride is in your cornerstone.. your cornerstone is empty and your life structure may topple at any time.
I am not ashamed of the Gospel. It lives and breathes life into the empty day after day. It rebuilds foundations and concretes the hope you can't see or feel into the very foundation of your life, but often times, it takes a monumental effort on our part to tear down and then rely on God to replace the cornerstone where it belongs. Deep into the foundation. The Cornerstone that isn't for pridefully filling with mementos for people to ohh and ahhh over, but for the only Cornerstone that can stand through anything. Jesus.
“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,a cornerstone chosen and precious,and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
1 Peter 2:6
1 comment:
Fantastic. Thanks.
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