Here Is The Conclusion Of The Matter

The Friday we were in Alaska, we drove to Whittier, a tiny city, but an important historic rail port on the northeast shore of the Kenai Peninsula. During World War II, this port was a secret and protective refuge for US ships, troops, and their dependents. Even if the Japanese did find out about this port, the Americans knew it was unlikely they would bomb it because the of the harsh weather in the region.

The Buckner building in Whittier, built by the military to house 1000 US soldiers and their dependents, still remains intact to this day, but abandoned and ghost-like. It is amazingly huge! It is six stories above ground and two stories below. They say it was once "a city under one roof" because it had all the amenities: a library, a cafeteria, a hospital, a radio station, classrooms, a theatre, and even a jail, plus more. (I wasn't able to get a picture of it since my husband was in a hurry to get to the tunnel again so we wouldn't miss the window of time that traffic was scheduled to go out. If we missed it, we would have to wait an hour to leave.)

The railroad terminus to Whittier was built in 1943 by the US Army so they could transport fuel and supplies. The construction wasn't an easy task because a 2.5 mile long railroad tunnel had to be blasted through the Maynard Mountain. (This is the longest combined rail and highway tunnel in all of North America.) It was quite an experience driving a car through this long tunnel, and mind-boggling as to the amount of labour it must have taken to build it and the pressure for time to do it.

Every hour passenger cars are allowed to travel through the tunnel one way, alternating with the opposing traffic half-way between the hour, unless of course a train comes through.

The tunnel is named Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel after the chief engineer of the Alaskan railroad.

Anton Anderson left an earthly legacy with the construction of the Whittier tunnel.

It is common to hear and see many times a mountain, road, trail, or tunnel named after someone of importance who accomplished a great achievement in his/her life time. But God says in Scripture that the conclusion of the matter is that we leave a heavenly legacy. We might not have a mountain, road, trail, or tunnel named after us, but we will have our name stamped on the heart of God and written in the Lamb's Book of Life. The Bible says it is the whole (not partial) duty of a person to fear God and keep His commandments.

"Now all has been heard;

here is the conclusion of the matter:

Fear God and keep His commandments,

for this is the whole duty of man."

Ecclesiastes 12:13 (NIV)

An earthly legacy will always be temporary, as this earth will one day pass away. But a heavenly legacy is eternal. I am not saying it is wrong for a person to leave an earthly legacy. It is just much more important to leave a heavenly one.