The Castle

The Castle.

It certainly was imposing.  I remember seeing it, standing six stories tall on a ridge overlooking the city of Gatlinburg.  Just looking at it from the tram up to Ober Gatlinburg, you had to be impressed by its size.

I read a little about it later and found at that it had been in the 1960s by a man named John Ruppel, who had a somewhat checkered history.  It had cost over 12 million dollars to build, had 32,000 square feet of living space, an amazing view, and had numerous secret passages and hidden rooms in it.

The thing is that when we talk about "The Castle," we must use the past tense, because in the recent forest fires that besieged Gatlinburg, this home was one of those that burned.

There is a sense in which all of the great works of humans pass, given enough time.  Of the seven wonders of the ancient world, only one -- the Great Pyramid at Giza -- still exists.  Over time, structures deteriorate, burn, and just generally decay.

The Bible tells that eventually everything will burn, "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare." (II Peter 3:10). 

It all sounds a little nihilistic.  What's the point of trying to leave a legacy, when whatever we do will eventually decay and burn?

Sad to say, too many people focus on the wrong things.  The important things aren't the material things we might accumulate, the wealth we might leave to our families, or even things we build with our hands.  The important things are the ways in which we touch the lives around us and the ways in which we spread joy into the lives of others.

It is the sort of thing that may go unnoticed.  Certainly it will never stand out like a six story castle built in the Smoky Mountains, but it will last a lot longer.

Our heavenly Father sees these little things and will remember, long after all of this has passed away.