Trophies

The other day we were driving to watch my brother play in his college basketball game and my Benjamin just had to bring his little basketball at the chance of maybe being able to run around the gym floor after the game.

He was sitting in his car seat, so proudly holding his basketball and in a moment this is what he said to me...."Mama, you know what?" What Benjamin....."I just love basketball." Awww...a sweet moment. This initial comment led into quite a conversation that of course led my mind to ponder....

I was telling my boys that I too loved basketball when I was younger and that I actually played in high school and was much, much better than their Uncle. Come on, where do you think my brother got his amazing skills from....I taught him all he knows! It doesn't matter that colleges wanted him to play for them and my career stopped at high school....I know what you were thinking......Anyway....

My oldest son wanted to know if I'd ever gotten any trophies for playing basketball and with much pride I said, "Of course I did!" Thus began my speech of bragging about all the trophies I'd gotten for my amazing athletic ability. But then he asked me, "Where are these trophies?" .....ahh, yes, ummm....the trophies are packed away in a box & stuffed back in our storage room.

Thus began my pondering.....at one point in my life I was so proud of these trophies and wanted to display them with admiration. Now in my life, they are packed away for no one to see for that time in my life has passed. We pursue things in this life that we think are of so much value....we are proud of these material things that we think have so much importance in our lives and yet they are just things...and sometimes they are things that eventually just get packed away and stuffed in a box. They bring us temporary happiness and yet we purse them with fervor and passion. What would happen if we pursued God with that same (if not more) passion!

I know we'd all admit that it's nice to have "things" in this life. I believe it's what these things become in our lives that matters. Do we look to the "trophies" in our lives to bring us that joy that only can come from the Lord? Do they define who we are...do we feel like nothing without them? For when we go Home, nothing will be coming with us!

It's just a trophy. I was proud of it and I worked hard for it, but now it's a trophy in a box. Again in our lives, all that matters is our significance in the Lord. For this world will truly pass away soon.