On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suffering and shame;
How I love that old cross where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.
So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it some day for a crown.
Oh, that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
Has a wonderous attraction for me;
For the dear Lamb of God left His glory above
To bear it to dark Calvary.
In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
A wonderous beauty I see,
For t’was on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
To pardon and sanctify me.
To the old rugged cross I will ever be true,
Its shame and reproach gladly bear;
Then He’ll call me some day to my home far away,
Where His glory forever I’ll share.
While looking through the words of this wonderful old hymn, written in 1912 by George Bennard, I was drawn especially to a line in the chorus, "Till my trophies at last I lay down."
I started to wonder about the trophies we hold today.
As children we may have received trophies and awards at school, anything from football and swimming to spelling and sewing, the list is endless. Two of my young grandsons received awards for integrity and showing kindness to others recently at school. These are wonderful trophies to receive and reward sporting or academic achievements and give general encouragement to youngsters.
But what about us as adults? We don’t have to be children to clutch onto worldly trophies. Our trophies could be our job titles, living in a certain neighbourhood, our standing in the local community, the designer brands we wear. These trophies are no different from the plastic mementos of our childhood. We all have status symbols that make us feel ‘we have arrived, we have achieved’.
Our trophies don’t have to be a bad thing, it’s great to have goals. God calls us to do work for Him and provide for the people who depend on us. Indeed, God has incredible plans for us.
But we must be careful, are we ever satisfied? Do we crave better jobs, bigger houses, more followers on social media?
There always seems to be another trophy to vie for, more and more never seems to be enough. There is only one thing that is enough. Jesus. When Christ lives in us what we’ve achieved or our status no longer matters.
Let us concentrate on just being with Jesus, on cherishing his love for us and knowing that it is more than enough. He is everything.
Jesus knows we are a work in progress whatever our age, but let us try, like the hymn writer, to cling to the old wooden cross and praise Jesus daily. Let us stop chasing and lay down our earthly trophies knowing that in exchange He will hand us a Heavenly crown, one that reminds us that He has already paid the ultimate price for our value and has made us worthy and whole.
We can then be assured that someday he’ll call us to our home far away, where His glory forever we’ll share.
Julie Burnett
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