Bible, Discipleship

MAKING SURE THE MEMORIAL DOESN’T OVERSHADOW THE MEMORY

What should it look like?

In days of old, putting up memorials didn’t have to be such a lengthy process. These days every significant memorial typically has to be a large work of art or decorative display, taking up vast amounts of time and materials.

I understand the thought process. By making it stand out, the goal is that it will attract more interest and therefore, people will remember.

This being said, these memorial structures typically don’t get erected until months, sometimes over a year later. People in the ancient world didn’t have the luxuries of extended time and resources for such projects, as we do. The event took place and the memorial was erected with what was available at the time.

One of the best examples of this is the Biblical practice of raising stones when God had done something significant for His people. Example: In Joshua 4, after God had led the people across the Jordan River.

Granted, they were likely stones of significant size.

And they likely would have taken some significant time and energy to the position. However, it was a memorial of natural materials, placed in such a way that interrupted the regular landscape, causing a person to pause and remember.

What do you think God would prefer? If we wanted to memorialize a significant work that God has done in our lives today; would He prefer the year-long, work-of-art memorial or the weekend, natural materials pulled together memorial?

If you have the time, check out some recently updated posts specifically related to Joshua’s memorial stones.

Join the Conversation; Share Your Thoughts

  • What type of memorial do you think God prefers?
  • Wondering why I’m updating my archived posts? Click HERE for a brief explanation.

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