What Lasts When Everything Else Fades

Reflection

Because of the current season, where the theme is harvest, it really got me thinking about the results of planting and such. When I would commute to work, I always drove past miles and miles of farmland. And sometimes during certain times of the year, I was not impressed with the scenery, especially when all you saw was dirt. Now don't get me wrong, I appreciate the need for it, but as far as beauty, it has none.

But then the seeds that were sown would begin to grow. Sometimes there would be cornfields, cotton fields that looked like snow had fallen, and lush peanut fields. That was when I found it most beautiful. What had once looked like nothing more than dirt had become something full of life and beauty.

Of course, that got me thinking about these Scriptures.

Peter says, “For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass.” When I read that, I can't help but think about how quickly things change. I was once a cutie patootie when I was little and then grew into a strong young lady, and now as I age, I feel and look like the effects of it.

I will never be as beautiful as those days physically, that is. My body will perish and eventually go back to the dirt. That isn't exactly the most flattering thought, but it is the truth. Everything we see around us is temporary. Our youth is temporary. Our physical beauty is temporary. Our strength is temporary. Even the things we work so hard to build and accomplish in this life will eventually pass away.

But thankfully, that isn't the end of the story.

Peter doesn't leave us looking at what fades. He turns our attention to what lasts.

“But the word of the Lord endureth for ever.”

There is something lasting.

And I think that is where the hope is found.

An Incorruptible Seed

Peter had just reminded his readers in verse 23 that they had been “born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” There is a contrast here that I don't want to miss. The things of this world are temporary, but what God produces through His Word is not.

Think about those fields I used to pass every day. The dirt wasn't the finished product. The seed was planted, and in time something began to grow. Eventually, there was something beautiful to see.

There is something similar happening in us.

A Beauty That Doesn't Fade

God's Word works in us. It changes us. It produces something that isn't based on how young we are, how attractive we are, how strong we feel, or how much we can accomplish with our own hands. The outward person may change, but what God is producing in the heart can continue to grow.

That gives me hope as I get older.

I may look in the mirror and see things that weren't there years ago. I may not have the same strength or energy I once had. My body is going to continue to change, and eventually it will return to the dust from which it came. But what God is doing in me does not have to fade away with my physical appearance.

There is a beauty that isn't measured by a mirror. There is a strength that isn't measured by physical ability. And there is something being produced in us that can last beyond this life.

That is the hope Peter is pointing us toward. We aren't placing our hope in something temporary. We have been born again through the living and enduring Word of God. The gospel we have received isn't here today and gone tomorrow. God's Word endures forever.

And when I think about that, the dirt doesn't seem quite so insignificant anymore.

The dirt is where the planting begins.

Sometimes we may look at our own lives and wonder what is happening. We may not see much growth. We may even feel like we are in a dry or barren season. But God is not finished simply because we cannot see the harvest yet.

What matters is what He is producing in us.

Our bodies may fade, but God's Word remains—
And the life He gives through the gospel is forever.

Before You Go

If you are feeling the effects of getting older, watching your strength change, or simply realizing how quickly life passes, remember that what is fading is not all there is. Your physical body may change, and the things of this world may come and go, but God's Word endures forever.

And that Word is not simply words written on a page. Peter has already pointed us to Jesus Christ, the One through whom we have been given this living hope. Jesus is the living Word, and through Him we have something that does not wither, fade, or perish.

You may not always see the growth happening in your life. You may even look at a season and see nothing but dirt. But don't assume that nothing is happening just because you can't see the harvest yet. Keep allowing God's Word to take root in you and keep your eyes on Christ.

The beauty that comes from Him is not limited by age, and the life He gives through the gospel does not wither and fade. What God is producing in you through Christ can last forever.