There are little white
crosses and beside the crosses are books written in golden print telling of all
their acts of service.
In my country (the
USA) there is a solemn ceremony that takes place in Arlington, Virginia. All our presidents in recent history have
paused once a year to set a wreath of remembrance at the Tomb of the Unknown. It is an awesome and reverent moment. We meditate on the ultimate and selfless
sacrifice men and women in our armed forces have made in helping to purchase
and maintain the freedom we enjoy in this country. The solemnity of the moment is only
heightened by the realization that they have sacrificed their lives in personal
anonymity far from the sound of public applause. The ceremony brings a lump into the throat of
many Americans.
Is there a
spiritual counterpart to the Tomb of the Unknown in Heaven? If there is, it would pay homage to an army
of people who show allegiance not just to one country, but to the Church
founded by Jesus Christ. Many of these
people have made the ultimate sacrifice as martyrs for Christ. But many others,
though not dying physically, have sacrificed themselves in personal obscurity
to help accomplish the purposes of God on this earth. They are the glue that holds things together
and without which the Church or any Christian organization does not
function. The unseen servant, like glue
when applied, is no longer seen, but without it things fall apart. They are like the salt in our food. It’s mixed in the food and disappears, but
when you taste it you know whether it is there or not. A church devoid of servants is a like a
carriage without a horse; it is not going anywhere.
Now,
allow me a little spiritual imagination if you will. If God had a Tomb of the Unknown, what
would it be like? There might be neat
rows of little white crosses with the inscription, Unknown. But as God views them, He sees the names of
the people perfectly inscribed. Beside
each cross lies a book. Some with many
pages, written in beautiful longhand with letters embossed in pure gold to
represent the purity of Christian service.
Focusing on the writing, it becomes clear; it’s a list of every act of
service done in love. Each entry is
complete with the date, and location, and intricate detail of the circumstance
involved. And the final page or pages as
the case may be, are just a series of various sized spots on the page, which
are God’s record of every tear shed for the sake of the Gospel. No, this probably does not exist, but I think
it could, because God has every tear shed for Him in His bottle of remembrance.
So
take courage my fellow followers of Christ.
Your work may seem to be unspectacular or even a little unpopular, but
if it is done for Him it will always endure.
Only what is done for Christ will last.
In that grand stage we call life, we can feel like we always get the
understudy role. And yes, in this world
your curtain calls may be few and far between.
But if we play our role for Him and His glory, in that final heavenly
encore, don’t be surprised if you get a standing ovation, because God sees and He never, ever forgets.
Ken
Barnes, the author of “The
Chicken Farm and Other Sacred Places” YWAM Publishing
Email: kenbarnes737@gmail.com website: https://sites.google.com/site/kenbarnesbooksite/
Email: kenbarnes737@gmail.com website: https://sites.google.com/site/kenbarnesbooksite/
