Twenty years ago the Berlin Wall came down, removing a barrier that had separated families and neighbors. Built as a result of World War II, the wall cut through Berlin, dividing it into East and West. People who had lived down the street for generations now lived in two different countries.
A few years ago I had the opportunity to visit Ronald Reagan’s Presidential Library. It was Reagan, of course, who challenged the Mikhail Gorbachev with these words: “General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”
A piece of the Berlin wall is on display at the Reagan library. I was quite disappointed. It was just concrete. Nothing more than concrete separated people from family members and neighbors.
Often times, the choices we make in our own lives build walls that also separate us from those we love and from the One who made us. They’re not made of concrete but are every bit as real.
What wall needs to come down in your life?