forgotten

As I recently walked through a high-end thrift store, it struck me how all of the items in there had once been important or used by someone.  And the possibility existed that some of the former owners could be gone by now.


I saw TVs from all different eras - some so old that I could just picture the wide-eyed wonder with which the families' children gathered around their first TV.  These TVs would have been considered a true treasure at one time.  Now they sit and gather dust and are used by no one.

I looked at old rusty rod iron fences that perhaps once surrounded beautifully manicured lawns and maybe even games of croquet.

There were even bowling balls sitting in unique holders the likes of which I had never seen before.

But the item that really caught my eye, and probably surprised me the most, was a still folded casket flag.  A flag that represented the deceased life of a brave soldier.  And I wondered why anyone would ever give a family flag to a thrift store?

Was a family so completely gone that no one knew who this person was?  No one remembered they even had lived?  It made me very sad to consider this - to be that forgotten seems impossible.  Yet when you consider that only 3 generations really know you, it doesn't take long before you become unknown.

It made me wonder if this life had made any difference in the world...any difference in eternity?

I took a hard look at my own life and asked how long it would take for me to be completely forgotten?   I prayed anew that the Lord would draw my attention each day to what is next for Him, what will make a difference in eternity.

It just has to amount to more than a forgotten folded flag in a thrift store.