Several years ago, a few of my kids and I went on an incredible trip exploring Europe. The trip was not just a vacation; it was about digger deeper into the culture and the history, while discovering how we could use this newfound knowledge in our own lives.

I asked my son, Roman, what stood out to him the most about Scotland, and he said, “They have built things to last.” Man, what a deep subject, and we all jumped on that statement and began to dissect it. We discussed what it means for something to be built to last.

There are buildings in Edinburgh, Scotland hundreds upon hundreds – some even thousands – of years old. These have clearly been built to last.

I’m a first-generation American on my father’s side and second-generation American on my mother’s side. Our nation is so young, we have not yet had a chance to see what might have been built to last. Compared to so many other places in the world, America is still a toddler, as a country. We really DON’T yet know what will – or won’t – last… especially considering the almost-daily challenges to our Constitutional happening.

But you have to ask yourself, what things do you have in your life that have been built to last? When you build things cheaply or establish fleeting guidelines and practices in your family, with no meaning… you’re not building anything lasting. So you might want to evaluate this in your own life today.

Marriages used to be built to last. Relationships are supposed to be built to last. Wealth should be built to last.

What do you have in your life that has been built to last? What in your life has a solid foundation and structure, that will last through plagues, wars, fires, storms? What in your life will stand through the hard times, the pain, the betrayals, the disappointments and the suffering?

We only have a certain number of years in this life. What are you establishing that will stand long after you’re gone?

During that trip, I looked around Scotland at the castles and the millennium-old cathedrals still there. The streets and some of the homes are there. All of this was established long before any of us were born… and our country wasn’t yet even a glimmer in some monarch’s eye! History is all around us! These things were built to last.

It’s really important for you to think about this today. What are you building that will be here to stay? What solid foundations are you creating, what structures are you building in your life to withstand trials and earthquakes? What is in your life that will still be standing long after you leave this earth?

I would love to know your thoughts on today’s message. Please leave me a comment on our Facebook page and tell me about the things in your life that have been built to last. I can’t wait to read your comments!

In great faith,

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