While searching for the right room for a meeting I was to attend, I poked my head into an open doorway. There on the floor, in a cardboard box, I saw a pile of dusty, old trophies – once highly coveted awards, now a pile of junk. The golden sheen still reflected the light, the engraved notations of outstanding performances were still visible. Someone, somewhere, had worked very hard to win one of those trophies, but now there they were, tossed in a pile, in an box, awaiting transport to a dumpster. The achievement that these golden trophies marked were forgotten, the award made irrelevant by the passing of time.
The experience jarred me! That box of old trophies kept reappearing in my mind all day along with the question – “Jerry, what are you working for today? Are you striving for an award that will be forgotten, discarded in a decade or two?” It is quite natural for us to be enthralled with the sparkly ‘treasures’ that are dangled before our eyes. The high school athlete longs to win a trophy that will be put in the display case just outside of the gymnasium. Four years later, nobody even knows his name! We work hard to ‘win’ a new car, thinking that it will be a trophy that makes us feel successful, but it doesn’t, at least, not for very long! We pour ourselves into gaining approval and applause – I think it would be special to be named ‘Pastor of the Year, Fasting Growing Church in NJ’ – but next year, the accolades are forgotten as another is recognized.
So am I suggesting we all settle for mediocre lives, living without goals, aiming for nothing, avoiding recognition? Not on your life! Believer, we need to reach for the award that will never be tossed in a box, forgotten, and meaningless.
Peter urges us to remember always that, “God has something stored up for you in heaven, where it will never decay or be ruined or disappear." (1 Peter 1:4 CEV) and that "…when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away." (1 Peter 5:4, NIV) Paul, at the end of his life, as he sat on Rome’s Death Row, sent a letter to a younger preacher. He was not beaten or disillusioned. He knew he was about to appear at an award ceremony! "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing." (2 Timothy 4:7-8, NIV)
Both of these men were alluding to a familiar trophy of their time, the ‘crown’ given to outstanding athletes. It was a small wreath, worn on the head, made from laurel leaves. It was a grand symbol of achievement, that quickly dried out and fell apart. So the apostle says, "All athletes practice strict self-control. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run straight to the goal with purpose in every step. I am not like a boxer who misses his punches." (1 Corinthians 9:25-26, NLT) Paul does not advocate apathy! He urges us to work hard, to strive to gain awards – ETERNAL ONES!
What are you working for today? Are you reaching for awards that will be forgotten, trophies that will be thrown into a box, destined for the dumpster in a decade or two? Re-focus your efforts. Instead of winning the certificate at the office, how about winning your son’s heart? Instead of putting in O/T for a vacation at Disney, how about time with your wife, meeting her needs for your love and affection? Instead of determining to do what is necessary to be approved by other people, how about working to gain the applause of Heaven, with a life full of good deeds that demonstrates your love for your Lord?
The trophies of eternity, according to Jesus, never get dusty, rusty, moth-eaten, or irrelevant!
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“Father, I thank you for letting me see that box full of old trophies,
for using them to speak so powerfully to me about what’s important in life.
Keep me focused on the goals that matter.
Give me glimpses of eternity as, by the work of the Spirit,
you open my eyes and understanding to the reality of the realm of spiritual things.
Thank you for providing the strength, all the resources I need, to win that prize.
Now help me, I pray, in Jesus’ name, to press on, and on, and on…
Until that day when You determine that I’ve reached the finish line,
and call me home forever.Amen.”
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