Sandcastles
“Up in my castle I sit on my throne,
While the streets hold disaster but no nothing more
Ooooh, I'm a fool, I'm a coward
I sail my ship out to sea
Look behind, see the kingdom of me.”
- Kingdom of Me by Caleb Chapman
What makes a legacy? So many kings and leaders throughout history have built castles, monuments, and other feats of architecture to themselves as a means to declare their own praises long after they are gone. Others have spent their entire lives trying to build companies and movements that would outlast them and seal their place in the history books. Political leaders are remembered as great leaders or absolute failures for their policies and decisions during their administration.
But what about your everyday average Joe or ordinary Jane? They spend roughly 40-50 years working 5, 6, or even 7 days a week to achieve in their 60’s and 70’s the life they wanted to live in their 20’s and 30’s. Many desire to accumulate wealth and leave an inheritance behind to their children. Others long to be famous or have high and lofty reputations in their communities. Still others want to be known for their great wisdom and intellect so that their wisdom would be revered for generations to come. For Freud, everything was about sex; for Nietzsche, everything was about power; for Marx, everything was about money (these are somewhat oversimplifications but still hold a measure of truth).
But what makes a legacy? And what are just “sandcastles”—awards, status, wealth, pleasure, and power that are here one moment and washed away the next? What can we actually build in life that is worth leaving to future generations?
The apostle Paul put it this way,
“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing…So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:1-3, 13)
Paul’s words are fascinating because this was a man who had spent much of his life pursuing knowledge, reputation, and status as a Pharisee—be the smartest, be the wisest, be the most knowledgable about the Law, be the most zealous, be the strictest and most rigorous, be the most righteous, be the most respected, etc. However, when Paul met Jesus, he saw the emptiness of the kingdom he had built to himself, calling it all rubbish, trash, or refuse (Philippians 3:4-8). So if wealth, social status, knowledge, influence, power, and even self-righteousness were all worthless, what could Paul possibly leave behind for future generations? What could he actually build in his life that would truly outlast him and point others to Jesus?
“…faith, hope, and love abide…but the greatest of these is love.”
Paul could leave behind a legacy of faith—a man who trusted God so fully. Paul could leave behind a legacy of hope—a man who could face anything and everything in life because he had a deep trust in the Lord to see him through. But the greatest of all things Paul could leave behind as a lasting legacy was love. Why love? Because the love of God is the foundation for our faith and hope in the Lord. We trust and hope in Him because we know His love.
According to his words in 1 Corinthians 13, Paul reasoned that he could be the most spiritual, most supernaturally powerful, most prophetic, or the greatest man of faith to ever live but that it would all be worthless without the ability to embody Christ’s love. Paul reasoned that he could be the most generous, endure the most suffering and persecution, and even die as a martyr for the sake of Christ and that it would all be worthless without love. For Paul, embodying the love that Jesus taught and exemplified in His life and death was the greatest legacy any follower of Jesus can leave behind for those who come after us.
It is way too easy—in ministry and in life—to allow narcissistic thoughts and behavior to influence what we are building with the time we are given. And when it comes to our walk with God, we can get so quickly confused about what actually constitutes a deep relationship with Him.
So many people talk about their designer clothing, shoes, and accessories as an indicator of God’s pleasure with their righteousness and favor on their lives. But what about believers in third-world countries living in poverty?
Sandcastles.
Many Christians have adopted this very secular idea that the more power and the larger platform you have, the more significant your influence will be. But what happens to that influence when those “successful” leaders fall into sin and their once-loyal followers “cannabalize” them?
Sandcastles.
To the great pain of their followers, many pastors and ministry leaders have fallen into the trap of leading their ministries in a way that has made the ministry dependent on that leader’s presence and leadership. And when they walk away or are removed from their position, the ministry descends into chaos.
Sandcastles.
So many spend their entire lives working excessive amounts of hours and sacrificing whatever it takes to accumulate wealth, status, possessions, and reputation for the sake of attaining their own personal idea of success, only to have a bad diagnosis from the doctor take it all away.
Sandcastles.
I believe that 1 Corinthians 13 is Paul’s “rage against the machine”—his answer to the harmful, arrogant, self-righteous, oppressive, and empty ways of our culture that are inherently woven into the fabric of our daily lives. For Paul, there is a better way to influence others. There is a better way to change the world. There is a better way to leave behind a legacy that blesses those we leave behind and countless generations to come.
Let us leave behind a legacy of Christlike love. Let us live self-sacrificially, laying down our lives for one another. Let us live in this world the life of Matthew 5-7 as citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven. Let us actually be concerned for the welfare of the people around us. Let us care for the widows and orphans and for those who live on the margins of society. Let us feed the hungry. Let us encourage one another and build each other up. Let us walk in the way of honor with those around us—especially with those we see as undeserving. Let us walk in mercy and grace. Let us forgive one another, respect our authorities, and live out the truth we profess. Let us model the only life worth living: the life of Christ.
And then maybe—just maybe—we will look back on our lives and see that we were not building sandcastles for the Kingdom of Me but actually laid a few more bricks towards building the Kingdom of God “on earth as it is in heaven.”
“Up in my castle I tear down my throne
Cast my crown to the ocean and bury my gold
Ooooh, I have finally found that
When I look past my pride, I see love come to life
For this kingdom to be
Is much more than the kingdom of me.”
