I had one of the most incredible opportunities of going to visit the Taj Mahal in India!
Here’s some fun facts about the Taj!
Year of Construction: 1631
Completed In: 1653
Time Taken: 22 years
Built By: Shah Jahan
Dedicated to: Mumtaz Mahal, the 3rd wife of Shah Jahan
Location: Agra, India
Building Type: Islamic tomb
Cost of Construction: 320 million rupees
Number of workers: 20,000
Highlights: One of the Seven Wonders of the World; A UNESCO World Heritage Site
Workers: For the transportation of the construction materials, more than 1,000 elephants were employed
Materials: As many as 28 different varieties of semi-precious and precious stones and different types of marbles used in construction of Taj Mahal were brought over from many different regions & countries: Rajasthan, Punjab, China, Tibet, Afghanistan, Srilanka, & Arabia.
Visitors: Taj Mahal attracts 2-4 million visitors annually with over 200,000 from overseas.
This place took 22 years to build
It was built with some of the most precious materials
Cost about 5 million dollars
And it is a tomb
Every year, there are over 2 million people who travel the world to visit it
And it is a tomb
As I entered through an extravagant arch I caught my first glimpse of the Taj Mahal and I was reminded of Matthew 23:27-28
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.”
How many of us dwell as living Taj Mahals?
Beautiful on the outside, but dead on the inside.
I WAS!!
Some clothe themselves with fashion, others with money, cars and expensive things, and others with friends and popularity.
Me. I clothed myself with the mask of perfection.
“No, nothing is wrong… I’m happy happy happy ALL the time!”
“No, I don’t live a sinful life or do sinful things… I am a Christian woman and I have my crap together.”
“My family is perfect. We love each other so much and never have disagreements.”
“No, I’m not lonely. I have plenty of friends. I’m a cheerleader and dancer and volleyball player and involved in Young Life.”
“No, I’m not anorexic or bulimic. I love my body! I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”
Every minute. Every day. I put on a mask of perfection. Appearing to the world to have my life together and my relationship with God in check.
But I was DEAD.
I was a living Taj Mahal.
And I don’t think I’m alone.
How many of us post instagram pictures smiling or laughing but are secretly being suffocated by depression?
Or post cute pictures with our boy friend/girl friend when we know we shouldn’t be in the relationship and/or its falling apart?
Or post ‘single and LOVIN IT’ so that no one knows we secretly fear being alone forever?
Truth is that our nature is to be a ‘white washed tomb’.
Satan screams lies to us that tell us, “if anyone knows how I’m actually doing, what I’m actually doing, how I actually feel, what’s actually going on in my life, they would judge me. They would look at me differently.”
PER USUAL SATAN IS A FREAKING PUNK!
& PER USUAL THOSE ARE LIES!
June 11th 2017 I found hope in taking a wrecking ball to the walls of my Taj Mahal
For the very first time I vocalized my deepest darkest sins and struggles
And where I thought I would find judgment and condemnation, I found freedom and acceptance.
My eyes were opened to the fact that I’m actually not alone in ANY of the things I struggle with.
I experienced FIRST HAND that when I spoke out the things Satan had convinced me to keep silent, HE NO LONGER HAD ANY HOLD ON ME!!!
Satan is the prince of lies.
He knows his ONLY weapon is lies.
He knows that as long as we keep quiet, he can use our sin and his lies against us
AND he knows that when we bring our sin and those lies out into the light, he no longer has any power or hold on us.
Here’s the truth
We have already been forgiven.
We were forgiven by God before we were even born; before we could mess up.
We are also humans, prone to go astray.
WE HAVE ALL SINNED AND FALLEN SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD
So you’re not alone.
You’re not the ONLY one who has ever struggled with what you’re struggling with or has done what you have done.
So I encourage you to take a wrecking ball to the walls of your Taj Mahal
To stop allowing Satan to cripple you with fear, sin and lies by keeping them in the darkness
To muster up the INSANE COURAGE to actually let people see that you aren’t perfect. That you don’t actually have all your crap together. And I promise you, you will find that you’re not alone.
You will find freedom.
You will find healing.
You will find redemption.
The Taj Mahal was incredible to see but I refuse to live as one!
1 John 1:8-10
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness
Psalm 86:5
You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you
James 5:16
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
Psalm 32:2-5
Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit. When I kept silent my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the guilt of my sin.
