Water Tower Wisdom

Today was a sad day in the history of Crosby, ND.  Since 1926 the Crosby water tower has stood tall and proud against the skyline.  It has served us well over the years, but the time came when a larger capacity tower was needed.  With the new tower now functioning, it was time to dismantle the old one.

Walking to my morning exercise class, I noticed men at work cutting holes into the side walls of the tower.  Just a half hour later, they had already lifted off the top section.  Visiting with someone who had watched it come down, they commented it had gone so fast they hadn't even had time to pull over and take a picture.

With camera in hand, I documented as, piece by piece, the sides came down.  Two hours later, as we were leaving town, they had just begun the process of removing the legs.  By the time we returned at 6:00pm there remained no evidence it had ever been there.

As I walked across town to an evening meeting, it felt lonely without its presence towering over me.  It has become a habit of mine to look for "God lessons" in my everyday world, and I found myself asking God to reveal some hidden meaning in the events of the day.

The verses He brought to mind are found in Philippians 3.  In verse 10 of this chapter, Paul indicates he wants to "know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead."

The next section of verses in my Bible come under the heading of "Pressing on Toward the Goal".  Paul admits he has not already obtained all of this, nor has he been made perfect.  But he presses on.  He indicates he is forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead.  He presses on toward the goal to win the prize for which God called him.

Arriving at verse 15, I find these words, "All of us who are mature should take such a view of things".  An easy way to sum up his thoughts is to say, "Don't dwell on the past".  Yes, we can cherish memories, but our focus should always be forward and onward to the next step in God's plan. 

For now, there is an empty space where once stood a water tower.  Perhaps its absence will remind us to ask of God, "What is next?  What plan do you have waiting for Crosby, ND?  What part can those of us who live here play in promoting your Kingdom to those you send our way?

May we say, as Samuel did:

"Speak, for your servant is listening."