A TRAIL MARKER
Joshua 4:1-6
4 When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua, 2 "Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man, 3 and command them, saying, 'Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests' feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.'" 4 Then Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel, whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe. 5 And Joshua said to them, "Pass on before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, 6 that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, 'What do those stones mean to you?'
Throughout the world, if you travel in the mountains or along seashore cliffs, you will see pillars of stacked stones, known as "cairns". Some pillars might be small while others could be very large. They may seem insignificant to many of us, but they are or were, very important to those travelers that needed to find their way through the mountains or along seashores.
There was a time before the use of GPS and satellites that the correct path, the way, was marked by someone that had come along before us. If it wasn't for the trail that was left we would not have found our way and would have become lost.
Those that are called to be children or God, Christians, have a responsibility to the generations that will come after us. Like the leaders of the twelve tribes in the book of Joshua, we are called to set up "markers" for our children, their children and future generations to come.
6 years ago this month we saw the passing of Charles Krauthammer. Charles was considered one of the great political minds of our day. No matter where you fell in the political world, you could listen to his view and gain knowledge on today's political world.
In a tribute to Charles, George Wills said this about a conversation with Charles. "Charles and I used to wonder how long after we passed it would take before we were forgotten. Our consensus was that it ranged from a nanosecond to 6 months".
What a shame to think that the only true influence someone that dedicated their life to something, might only last days, or even less.
I often think of the country/western song by George Jones, "Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes?". It's a commentary on the great singers that have gone on from this life. But it speaks to me of my responsibility to make sure that I am doing what I'm called to do to leave a lasting legacy, a cairn of spiritual wisdom that those coming after me will see and point them to God.
We are called to be a light to this world (Matthew 5:14). A light removes the darkness and points the way like a cairn in the wilderness.
Matthew 5:14
You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.
Be a trail marker to those coming behind you. Show them the right path to keep them from drifting into trouble. And be a light to show the way in a dark world.
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