Building for future generations

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3: 12 - 14 

Pictures of cathedrals always inspire me with a deep sense of awe.  Medieval craftsmen with nothing more than wooden scaffolding, wheelbarrows, hammers, chisels and other hand tools but with a huge workforce built the most magnificent places of worship – for the glory of God.

Wells Cathedral

Centuries later they still glorify God because of their beautiful architecture and amazing detail. Everywhere you look, every window, column, pillar, tower, façade and turret have all been carved with painstaking features to beautify an already beautiful building.  Some of these amazing details are never seen by anyone except architects and stonemasons up on the roof or in some other inaccessible place.

Lincoln Cathedral

Truly these cathedral builders had vision, passion and perseverance. Cathedrals generally took about 50 years to build though some took centuries. The construction would almost certainly not be completed in one man’s lifetime.  Cathedral builders knew that what they started, someone else would finish.  They never saw their completed masterpieces. I doubt they had any idea that centuries later people would still flock to admire and wonder over these marvellous buildings even if the original purpose of worship has been overwhelmed by tourists.

This sense of building something that others may finish has almost been lost in 21^st century life. At an architectural level, with our ability to build just about anything in a few years, everyone expects to finish a project unless sudden illness or accident overtakes them.

But what of projects that are not architectural? Do we have a longer-term vision for our lives and ministries that lasts beyond our lifetime? Bill Johnson is building a 100 year vision for Bethel Church. God gave David a vision and an unconditional promise of a dynasty that would last forever.

Jesus lived an incredibly short life yet his vision had eternity in mind and he knew that when he breathed his last, the door of heaven would be opened to anyone who accepted his free offer of eternal life. We may have accepted that offer but do our lives have a long-term aim? Or does our vision end when we die?

God spoke to our family 20 years ago that he was building a ‘house’, a family line that would outlast our lives. I realised that on both sides of our family, God had been at work for years before we came into the world and hopefully God will continue to work in our family for years after we have gone to glory. Our part is to invest as much as we can into the next generations.

However my vision is not just for our immediate family. I want to sow as much good seed as possible into the lives of others; Christian and others. I don’t think we realise the effect we have on the lives of others.  I want to try and make mine as beneficial and positive as possible. I want to know that when I die, I have handed on some batons for others to run with and sown some seed that will be bearing fruit in other’s lives for years to come.

Salisbury Cathedral

Our lives are far more significant than we imagine. We don’t need to have a platform ministry or important careers to be significant. We are significant because of who we are. We need to lift our eyes from the mundane, everyday humdrum of life and see the bigger picture. We have an inheritance to pass on that is far bigger than money or possessions and far more meaningful than a few memories or photos.

Let’s encourage one another to invest in a future that goes beyond our life and times and have in mind that we may not ever see the full outworking of that investment this side of eternity. Nevertheless, like the cathedral builders of old, we may find that we have built something that future generations can benefit from long after we have gone.