ENDURING TO THE END

When I was a young lad I used to spend hours building structures out of Lincoln logs and little red blocks. The Lincoln logs were made out of real wood and worked marvelously until they came into contact with any moisture. Since those were also the days of pre plastic Lego blocks these little red blocks were also susceptible to damage by moisture. One of the wonderful things about these earlier times was that these construction pieces didn’t come in prepackaged projects which were intended to build only one object. The only thing which limited what I was to build was my imagination and the number of logs or blocks I had in my construction chest.

After dedicating numerous hours building a pioneer complex or some futuristic tower, within just a few minutes my creations were demolished and I had all the logs and little red blocks back in the chest.

Wouldn’t we all consider ourselves to have had an amazing life if structures of Lincoln logs and little red Lego bricks were the only part of our lives which had taken a long time to build and then were torn down in just a matter of seconds?

How often do we see someone’s well-earned reputation crumble with one ill-advised choice?

How often do we see a pattern of honesty destroyed with a ‘chance of a life time’ dishonest deal?

How often do we see pains-taking well-toned bodies quickly weakened by neglect of diet, exercise or disease?

How often do we see years of savings eradicated by a budget busting spending spree?

How often do we see a life time of unifying family life scuttled by someone succumbing to a siren call?

How often do we see a talent extinguished by the cessation of practice?

How often do we see learning limited because of the termination of retention exercises?

How often do we see belief in Deity dissolve because we cease to attend to prayer and chapel?

Observing the rather frequent repetition of these passages in our personal lives and the lives of loved ones never seems to lessen the sadness which accompanies the demolition of an aptitude, acquisition or attribute which had been built with years of relentless proper placing of one bright brick upon another.

Simply because there is a frequency of these ‘life’s efforts’ eliminating activities does not mean that this is the way things should be. We should all believe strongly in the wonderful principle of repentance and perhaps we have had numerous occasions when we have had occasion to call upon the extended mercies. However, it might be well if we were to give equal awareness to the principle of enduring to the end.

During my more experienced years (euphemism for senior or old) I assembled holiday villages around the house and only removed them after numerous requests or pleas for the restoration of our home to its non-holiday state. I suspect if room had been available they would have been a year round Fung Shui part of my environment. Even though this activity did not in anyway ‘endure to the end’, never the less, I was able to get a little bit of understanding between the pleasure and excitement which comes from building with little red block or Lincoln logs and then their immediate destruction and the more continual joy and satisfaction which comes when the results of our efforts endure, if only for a season.

We might consider striving harder to keep our reputations whole through proper choices.

We might consider always making honesty the best policy.

We might consider being constant in healthy habits.

We might consider concentrating on needs and controlling wants.

We might consider faithful relationships to be of more importance that fantasies.

We might consider talents timeless and not temporary.

We might consider the ability to learn an eternal blessing.

We might consider the building of Heavenly relationships a daily responsibility.

Yes, repentance is a tremendously important, necessary and well used principle, but the principle of faithfully enduring to the end is worthy of consideration because of the constancy of joy, peace and satisfaction which will surely attend.