The purpose of an empty stadium

I love sports stadiums. They've always drawn my interest. I love the thought of them filled with fans cheering on their team to victory. I love the sights and sounds of stadium. The crowded ticket gate, showing my ticket to get in the gates, finding my seat, smelling the concession stand food, walking around the concourse, eating popcorn, reading banners. I love everything about them.

The first thing I saw as a gazed out our 20th floor window when we arrived in Harbin were two stadiums. One was on our campus and the other, much larger stadium, was down the road. I've noticed it for years but had never been inside. I'd only walked by it as I entered the shopping mall. I waited for the perfect time to go inside. I waited for an exhibition soccer match to come to town. The game never came.



The stadium sits empty day after day, month after month, year after year. Four years of emptiness (and who knows how long before we came to Harbin). It's sad to imagine a stadium never used for its purpose, but I love them the same.

So there I was looking into the empty Harbin stadium nothing barring me from walking up and down the aisles or taking a seat anywhere I'd like. It was empty and unused in disrepair but at any moment it could serve its purpose.



I imagined my own life. Is my life being used for its purpose? Does the Father look at my life and rejoice cheering that I'm being used for His purpose? Or does He peer into my empty life saddened that I am not being used for the purpose He intended? I long for the former. I long to be used for His purpose. I long to hear the Father say, "Well done good and faithful servant."