Thoughts on the Tower of London

Last week, I was privileged to be able to go to London with my husband. We had a fabulous time. I was privileged to have visited the city with my Mom in August 2006, but had a fantastic time re-exploring the city with Nathan. On Sunday we went to my favorite site in London - the Tower of London. I will never tire of learning about the history of this fascinating castle and the mysteries that surround it.

Contained in the Tower of London is the pride of the British people - the Crown Jewels. Amazing. I mean, these crowns, scepters and such have been in use in for thousands of years. We think our 100 year old buildings in America are amazing. Everything in England puts that thought to shame.

To see the Crown Jewels you have to snake through this giant exhibit that gives the history of the Royal Family, which is really interesting. Then, you enter into an area that shows various video's of these Crown Jewels in use throughout the years. I found these video's interesting, but I didn't care ti watch them - I wanted to see the real thing!

This is where I began to notice something interesting. The line began to clog here. People were stopping to stare and gape at these video's. They walked closer to the screens for a better look. They were talking in hushed amazement to their friends.

I didn't get it. I wanted to grab their shoulders and say, "Keep walking! Just through that door are the REAL THINGS! Not the video's the ACTUAL, REAL Crown Jewels. Why the heck are you standing here gaping at pictures of them, when the real things are just a few steps away??"

And that's when it hit me.

So many times in my Christian life I am content to sit and look at the pretty pictures of Christian faith. I am content to read stories about missionaries overseas, while sitting in the comfort of my home. I am content to listen to my friends talk about their service to the Lord, while watching TV in my spare time. I am content to buy the newest book about how to seek the Lord the best, instead of picking up my Bible.

I don't seek the Lord's face. I don't take the time to be intimately acquainted with him. I don't take the time to sit in His presence and meditate on His word.

I am content to sit and look at the pretty pictures of the Lord, instead of taking the extra effort to actually know and see Him.

So my challenge to myself since last Sunday has been to get past the comfort of the pretty pictures of the Christian faith and to actually seek to face of Christ. To actually bask in His presence as opposed to reading another book about Christianity.

And as soon as Nathan gets home and figures out what is wrong with iPhoto, I'll blog about the rest of our fabulous time in the U.K.

Cheers!