Never in my life did I expect to visit the Taj Mahal. It wasn’t on the list of things I expected to come my way in life. But last month, I went. My friend Mandy, the more than gracious hostess, and I drove about 4 hours east of New Delhi to the town of Agra and visited the world’s largest romantic grand gesture.
Shah Jahan was a Persian emperor of India in the 1600s. The shah had 3 wives, but the first 2 never had children. The third was his beloved and favorite wife, because she gave him 14 children, 6 of who survived. (She was a very busy woman!) In 1631, she died in childbirth, and Shah Jahan ws devastated. He decided to build an enormous monument to this wife as a testament to his great love for her. He called for the greatest architects and craftsmen in this part of the world. He imported precious and semiprecious stones from all over. He had tons of white marble hauled to Agra by elephants and camels. And these thousands of craftsmen spent 22 years building and perfecting this statement of Shah Jahan’s love.
The Taj Mahal is extraordinary. Black onyx, jasper, carnelian, coral, and malachite are inlaid in white marble in intricate designs. Lattice-work pieces are flawlessly carved from one solid piece of marble. The courtyards were planned with a drainage system that carries rain into the nearby river. And the entire complex, including the reflecting pools, pathways, flower beds, outer courts, and 4 entry gates, is perfectly symmetrical.
It amazes me that God can give mere men the creativity and the talent to build something so amazing. That we can not just have the idea and desire to create something as grand as the Taj Mahal, but actually have the skills and perseverance to complete it, even if it did take 22 years. To say that it is an impressive piece of artwork and architecture is no small understatement.
But, even though the Taj is almost 400 years old, it is by no means permanent. It is fading. Because of air pollution, the beautiful white marble is turning gray. The paving stones and drainage grates are chipped and cracked in places. Some of the semiprecious stones have been stolen, or have fallen out of place. Pieces of the inlaid onyx on the outside of the buildings have turned from black to gray. And I’m reminded that everything on this earth fades. We are all in a cycle of destruction.
The only things that stand, that remain, are the things done for Christ. The acts of kindness. The loving words spoken. The sacrifices made. At the end of my life, what will matter is not what I had or how impressed people were by my possessions. What will matter is how I honored God and pointed people towards Him. I can use my “stuff” to do that, but I can’t build my life around these things. They’re all gonna fade. They’re all gonna burn.
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Matthew 6:19-21
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 in it will be laid bare.
2 Peter 3:10
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