Temporary or permanent?

I remember my grandpa’s razor. He died when I was a child, but I remember seeing his old one-blade razor sitting by the mirror at my grandparents’ home when I was going over to visit.

It was a sturdy, wooden razor with a steel head. The head unscrewed so the blade would fit inside it. He kept the blades in the closet of the bathroom, out of reach in case curious fingers wanted to test the sharpness of them.

Years after my grandfather passed away, I remember seeing that old razor, now up in that same closet, no longer out of reach. So, as a teen, I picked it up. It felt heavier than the plastic disposable razors I had recently learned to use. It felt sturdy, consistent and permanent.

The older I get, the more I have learned that some things are like that, and other things are like those throwaway razors I still use sometimes. The temporary ones can do the job for a while. However, they are meant to be replaced. They don’t last long. They are made of less-sturdy material and they certainly aren’t as expensive.

I think about my grandad’s razor every now and then, especially when I read Bible passages like this one: “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58).

It’s a symbolic reminder of a very real truth: There are temporary things that are fine for the short-term but don’t last. And then there are more permanent, sturdy, consistent things that are meant to last a lifetime and beyond.

I want a consistent faith that is not plastic or temporary but permanent.