There is a legend that surrounds the Taj Mahal in India. The Taj Mahal is one of the architectural wonders of the world. The emperor and builder of this masterpiece was Shah Jahan who ruled from 1628-1658. His wife, known as Taj Mahal, died in 1631. The Shah was devastated. He resolved to honor her by constructing a temple that would serve as her tomb. The coffin was placed on a large piece of land and construction of the temple began around the coffin. No expense would be spared to make her final resting place magnificent.The weeks turned into months and the months into years. It took 22 years and twenty thousand people to complete the project. The Shah’s grief was overshadowed by his passion for the project. He no longer mourned her absence. The construction project consumed him. One day, while walking from one side of the construction site to the other, his leg bumped against an old, dusty, wooden box. While the prince, miffed at the ugly, dirty box, brushed the dust off his leg, he ordered a worker to throw the box out.
The Shah didn’t know he had ordered the disposal of his wife’s coffin that had been forgotten and hidden beneath layers of dust and time. The one the temple was intended to honor was forgotten, but the temple was erected anyway.
How many times do we lose focus on the things that ought to be dear to us because of other pressing needs? Be careful that the urgent things don’t always overshadow the important things in life.
1 comment:
Great point, Gene (and one I don't feel at all obligated to comment on after my sarcastic Twitter response... not a bit.) This reminds me of times in college leadership when I had let ministry take priority over ministering. In my studying last night, I came across this passage in Luke that really drove the point home: "As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord's feet, listening to what he taught. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, 'Lord, doesn't it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.' But the Lord said to her, 'My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.'" (Luke 10:38-42 NLT)
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