The Power of Symbols

If you were to see the Liberty Bell in the back of a pickup truck driving through your neighborhood, you might think nothing of it. (If you didn't notice the crack and know what bell it was.) The power of the Liberty Bell is more in what it represents, than in what it is. This shouldn't be surprising. Look at the other symbols around you. My wedding band has a limited value because of what it is made of, but that doesn't even begin to compare to the value of what it represents--26 years of making a home and a life with my best friend. Do you ever get a little choked up when the national anthem is played? Or when you see the flag standing out in a stiff breeze, do you feel a sense of pride welling up inside your chest? The value of a symbol is in what it reminds us of. And the more that something cost us to achieve, the greater the value of the symbol.

I have kept lots of running race shirts and medals. A couple are favorites because they are immensely comfortable, but the ones that I value the most are the ones that I worked hardest to get. My Goofy shirt and medal may be the most treasured. Not because they are inherently worth much of anything, but because of what they represent--39.3 miles of running over two days and months of training beforehand. My Afton Trail Run medal is another that I treasure, both because of the effort involved and because of running it with Abby (if by with you mean on the same day as). I value my starfish medals because they remind me of the semi-tradition of running the Holiday Halfathon each December and getting to see my family at the same time.

Sometimes these symbols also remind me of what I have been able to accomplish. Many days I do not feel like a very good runner. I am not very fast and it doesn't always feel like my body appreciates what my mind and will are telling it to do. Those are the times that I need to be reminded that there have been times that I have endured or overcome significant physical challenges. That reminder often serves as the encouragement that I need to start the next run.

Without symbols, we tend to forget. I think that is why God had the Israelites set up various reminders of what He had done to show His power and mercy on their behalf. Upon crossing into the Promised Land they were told to take stones from the middle of the Jordan River and create a monument on dry land. Why? So that in the future, when some little kid asked, "What are those rocks for?" the people could answer, "To remind us that God held back the river so that we could cross into this land." The strength and awe would not be in the rocks themselves, but in what the rocks represented.

What symbol can you set up to remind you of something significant that you might otherwise forget? To recall some way that God has been powerful for you? Some amazing time of family love and cohesiveness? A valued friendship? Claim a symbol--never forget.

Pressing On!
-Ken