Being a Monument

I love Washington, DC.  It is one of my favorite cities, and one of my favorite places to be is sitting on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial as dusk falls on the city.  The lights on the Washington Monument, the White House, the Vietnam Veterens Memorial . . . it's all so beautiful and poignant.  I love what it represents, and I love to be in the middle of all of that history.

Our country is big on monuments.  DC is obviously full of them--they're all so different and the artists have done so much to capture the moment, the memory, the people, the commitment, the struggle, the honor, the beauty.  Everywhere you look in that city, you are reminded of the wars we have fought, the freedom we have won, the men and women who sacrificed so much for us.  Downtown in my city, monuments remind me of a woman who refused to move from her seat on the bus to a seat that society demanded she take.  They remind me of a president who was our "native son."  In Oklahoma City and New York City, they remind us of the horror that men can inflict on other men--and of the heroes who will always step in to help.  In Rapid City, SD, they represent the first 150 years of our nation's independence.  We flock to them, and they become tourist attractions (you can even buy them on a keychain so you never have to forget!).

Monuments. 

Merriam-Webster defines a monument as "(1) : a lasting evidence, reminder, or example of someone or something notable or great (2) : a distinguished person b : a memorial stone or a building erected in remembrance of a person or event."

It turns out we Americans aren't the only ones who love monuments, either.  In The Message, Eugene Peterson translates Psalm 148:13-14 as follows:

Let them praise the name of GOD--
it's the only Name worth praising.
His radiance exceeds anything in earth and sky;
he's built a monument--his very own people!

That has stuck with me since I read it in my morning devotions several days ago.  "He's built a monument--his very own people!"  We are a monument.  Us.  Apparently God wanted to create "a lasting evidence, reminder, or example of Someone notable [and] great."  (capitalization mine)

What an incredible thought.  As with the monuments erected on this earth, the Artist has created us all unique--yet He has captured the moment, the memory, the people, the commitment, the struggle, the honor, the beauty.  My testimony, my life, my story, is a living monument to the glory of God.  When people see me, may they remember.  And may they praise the name of GOD, because it's the only Name worth praising.