What Symbols Do You Hold Dear?

We are surrounded by signs and symbols in everyday life. We make decisions based on them -- traffic signs, for example. What about our American flag that symbolizes the price our service men and women paid for our freedom? What about that coin on the sidewalk that reminds us “In God We Trust”?

When I was twelve, my boyfriend (who eventually became my husband) and I went on our first official (chaperoned) date. On my 13th birthday, he bought this pictured gold bracelet and charm for me with his savings. I still have that bracelet and charm. I wore that bracelet when I served communion a couple of Sundays ago. It made me feel like he was with me, serving. That bracelet was always a symbol of when we met and had our first date AND the sweet love we shared for so many years.

I heard a man share about the time when he bought his wife a crucifix as a gift. She opened the gift and said, “I can’t accept that, because Jesus is no longer on the cross”. I thought, “What a shame that someone would think that about a crucifix." There is no symbol more dear to Christians than the cross of Christ and the Crucifix. At one time, crosses represented only torture until death. Now, the cross, with or without the Jesus on the cross, is a symbol of the price Jesus paid for our salvation, healing and victory as he conquered death at His resurrection. When I see a crucifix or a cross, I thank God for His indescribable love for you and me that He gave us His One and only Son, that if we believe in Him, we will never perish, but will also have everlasting life. (John 3:16) Now, that’s a reminder I need to see everyday! Oh how He loves you and me!

Do I worship my bracelet or do I worship the cross or crucifix I wear? Oh, no! My bracelet AND my cross are beautiful reminders. Another symbol that we see is the Ichthys which is the Greek word for fish. Early Christians made an acrostic of it which means “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior.” The fish has plenty of references in the Bible, (for example, Jesus fed the 5,000 with 2 fishes and 5 loaves of bread and Jesus told His disciples to be Fishers of Men).

In the early church, the fish didn’t attract too much attention or suspicion (unlike the cross) so it was a perfect secret symbol for persecuted believers. When threatened by Romans in the first centuries after Christ, Christians used the fish mark in meeting places to distinguish friends from foes. According to one ancient story, when a Christian met a stranger in the road, the Christian would draw one arc of the simple fish outline in the dirt. If the stranger drew the other arc, both believers knew they were in good company and safe to admit they were Christians. Now you know the back story to the fish symbol we see used so often today. Thank God we are free to express our faith by wearing or displaying the cross or crucifix, unlike those in countries and places today, where they still must resort to secret signs & symbols.

What symbols are reminders to you of significant events, precious memories and even keep you in closer touch with God? Do you wear a wedding band? Does it represent the sacred marriage covenant you made before God with your spouse? Is your Bible just a book of stories on your coffee table, or are you reminded of God’s Word to His people that is a road map to success and victorious living if we apply its principles?

Symbols – reminders. What symbols do you hold near and dear to YOUR heart?