Growing up in church and in Christian school... you learn to talk the talk. You learn all the spiritual lingo, and if you're not careful, you become a chameleon. You do what 'they' do. You go to church, you don't say ugly words, you gossip by way of 'prayer requests', and you learn that if you follow all gossip with "bless their hearts' it's okay to tear people apart... you take casseroles to the sick, and you sing in the choir.... and you blend. It was only through a series of unfortunate events in my life, that I began to realize that I didn't like who I saw when I looked in the mirror.... that I realized that I needed to get face to face, toe to toe, and nose to nose with God... I needed Him to prove who He was. As I began to seek him, I became aware of who God is... who He is to me, and who I am in and because of Him.... and that what I had lived in the past, was quite possibly... a knockoff.
Anyway, that being said.... here was my life lesson of the week:
I came home the other day to find a pile of garbage on the front porch awaiting 'transport' to the dumpster. My husband had been moving things from his storage facility to our home, and had disposed of some items that he deemed no longer useful… garbage.
Imagine my face when atop the boxes and plastic bags, thrown haphazardly, was a large travel bag with the unmistakable, enduring monogram trademark of Louis Vuitton!! Like a good wife…. I questioned his motives as soon as he walked through the door – sweetly, of course – but questioning nonetheless!! His oh-so-casual response was…. (Are you ready for this??)…. "It's old! It's like from the 70's." Let me interject here and say that I am not a pack-rat, and neither am I one of those people who are enamored with name brands and fancy things; however, I do recognize and appreciate the value of a such a classic, and the timelessness of the Louis Vuitton emblem.
So, as I rescued my treasure from the trash heap, I was so excited to see that, while it clearly had been around for many years, it was still flawless! And as I ran my hand across the leather, I realized there was a life lesson here. God was trying to tell me something….
I first thought exactly what you're probably thinking… things about 'one man's trash is another's treasure'… or that God can use anything or anyone, even if the world thinks it is nothing… and all those things are very simple, yet profound truths. However, I felt there was something more… something deeper. I played with the zipper, which worked perfectly, and looked inside. The lining was intact and perfect…. and as I ran my hand along the inside I found the tag. There it was. LOUIS VUITTON. The name. Just the name 'Louis Vuitton' speaks of history, of timelessness, of riches, of success, of quality. It's impressive. It's notable. In years past, one could easily identify the wealthy travelers by their luggage alone… and those traveling with a set of Louis Vuitton trunks were among the elite.
Louis Vuitton has been around since 1854, and the classic and easily identified "LV" insignia has been copied for years. Many cheap, obvious fakes are out there, and are easily spotted. But, some very well made look-alikes are manufactured and sold on the 'black' market to those who want to look like they have the real thing. These are much easier to come by, and much cheaper. They provide the look, but not the price. They mimic prestige, but bring shame if discovered for what they are - knockoffs.
There was the lesson.
As Christians, we carry with us the name, the signature, of Jesus Christ! That name is timeless - literally. It is alpha AND omega. It knows no beginning, nor no end… it brings all the authority and power of God himself. With it, we have access to all the Wealth in the Kingdom, the only enduring wealth that exists. With that name we have heritage, we have quality of life, we have success, we have healing, we have authority! His "luggage" is easily identified. It stands out; it's unmistakable. It's ELITE!!
There are many cheap imitations of the real thing. False religions are the obvious ones, and easily avoided. The dangerous ones are the ones that really look like the original at first glance. Good works, helping those less fortunate, demonstrative worship, church attendance, reading the Bible... all really good things… But unless you have the right "tag" on the inside… the one with the name "JESUS CHRIST"… unless He sits on the throne of your life…. You've just got a cheap imitation.
Beware of knockoffs. The real thing is WAY better!
10.03.06
Life Lessons - Lessons from Life for Life by Patti Hamilton is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
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