Mine's Bigger

The past few days I've had the opportunity to see some of the most marvelous structures that man has ever built, there truly are no modern structures that can compare to these they have a true beauty that has lasted through out the years. Despite all the wars, different rulers and natural disasters, they have stood, with a beauty that transcends the ages and is still ravishing despite the test of time. The first day I was able to see The red fort, Biwi Mahal, and Akbar's tomb. After seeing those, I couldn't help but think, "why do people make such a big deal about the Taj Mahal? Compared to the pictures theses look infinitely more amazing." The next day I went to see the Taj, and there I learned something important. No picture will ever do it justice It is a truly massive monument, that just keeps going and going, and as you stand at the base of it looking up, you realize how small you truly are. It towers above you and the amount of work that was put in to it leaves you trying to catch your jaw before it cracks on the marble. It gives you a physical place to begin to see how big your problems really are when they are held up to God. In the same way I stood and stared at the Taj Mahal in awe, so are we as Christians to stand in awe of creator. So often when we face tough times, we are so focused on ourself that we miss the beauty of the bigger picture that we standing in the middle of, which is the song, poem, painting, or what ever else you have chosen your life to be. I think life is about learning to look through a magnifying glass and the big picture at the same time, but I've noticed especially in my life once I get ahold of one of them it takes me forever to let go of it and go back to looking through  both at the same time.

One thing that was truly amazing was the fact that they were all symmetrical. For every piece of architecture there was  another that mirrored it perfectly down to the distance from the threshold. The amount of work that went into thinking the plans up is truly amazing.

While they are breathtaking, they also heartbreaking, because while they were a tribute to man's ingenuity they were also a tribute to man's vanity. I was able to see Akbar's tomb, the Biwi Mahal, the Red Fort at Agra, and the Taj Mahal. Three of these were built as tombs , and the other was a massive collection of palaces inside of the red fort. All of them were simply an attempt to outdo the people who preceded them. A 400 year old legacy to the male competitive spirit. A way for the next generation to look at his father and grandfather and say "Mine's bigger!"