The Lifespan of a Fruitcake

(--------The Lifespan of a Fruitcake--------)

            It was the spring of 1945 and World War II was in full swing. The western allies, lead by The United States, The British Commonwealth and The Soviet Union (known as the big three by FDR), were making great advances into German territory. Between the bloody battles, destroyed cities, and missing soldiers, this proved to be a very gruesome time in our world. In Fact, World War Two was the deadliest war in the history of the world.¹ From start to finish, there were over 60,000,000 (yes, you read that right; million) casualties in a span of less than 10 years.² Almost every country in the world was directly affected by this atrocity. And compared to the 15,000-20,000-year lifespan of our earth, this devastating loss of life happened in no more than the blink of an eye.³

                  In early March, 1945 there was a soldier named George Stout serving the U.S. Army in Europe. And although he was a soldier, Stout had a rather obscure title in the Army. He was the leader of the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives section (MFAA) of the Allied Forces. This branch of the military, invented in 1943, was basically a group of treasure hunters, which was in charge of tracking down all of the European treasures that had been stolen by the Nazis during the war. During Germany’s conquest through Europe, the Nazis had managed to plunder billions of dollars worth of treasure. This treasure contained items that ranged from priceless works of art to the most valuable flatware available. So, as an MFAA officer, George Stout was on an adventure of a lifetime (The WWII story of the MFAA is incredible and if you like history, go…now…research!). Now, in early March, Lieutenant Stout was transferred from U.S. First Army, which was fighting in Germany near the front lines, to U.S. Twelfth Army, which at that time was stationed in France. While transferring was a hassle, this wasn’t all bad for Stout.

            After Lieutenant Stout had been transferred away from the front end of the fighting in Germany, to the ally-occupied city of Verdun, France, his living conditions changed a bit. Stout was finally able to eat real meals and sleep on a mattress. He didn’t have to watch out for landmines with every step he took. He didn’t have to sleep in ditches or on concrete floors. After his transfer, Stout was even able to receive some mail from his wife and children whom he had not seen in over a year. It was a nice change of pace for him.

            On March 6, 1945 stout received a box of Christmas presents from his family (Only 71 days late, no big deal). In the Box, were several small gifts including a new pair of socks, his daughter’s handkerchief, a Christmas candle, and a fruitcake. And despite the fruitcake being over two months old, Stout downed it. “The cake was still good, moist and delicious”, said Stout. And he also had a very interesting thought that followed…

            “It is amazing how the world can change in the lifespan of a fruitcake.” ⁴

            That is a crazy thought! I mean, here you have a guy fighting in World War II, seeing crazy things every single day. In a mere 2 moths or in the lifespan of a fruitcake, Stout had seen the world around him change colors like a chameleon. Fellow soldiers were being killed, towns and cities were being turned to rubble, he and his fellow officers were discovering treasure and learning the escape routes of the Germans, he was being transferred from front lines to safe zones, transferred from sleeping in trenches to a place where he was sleeping in a bed. All of these things were happening simultaneously and repetitively in the lifespan of a fruitcake. and you know what? As strange as it sounds, I really feel like we can relate.

            I honestly think we can all relate to Lieutenant Stout in one way or another; our lives and our worlds are changing in crazy ways, all the time. I want you to think with me for a second about the last 71 days of your life. In that time span, has your world changed? Have there been some crazy things happen to you or your family? Did you get that new job you had been praying for? Did you lose that job that you needed? Did you fall in love? Did you fall out of Love? Have you made new commitments? Have you broken old ones? Have you made new friends? Have you made new enemies? Have the changes in the last two months been awesome? Have the changes in the last two months been awful?

            You see! Our world is constantly changing! Sometimes for the better, and other times, for the worse.

Now, is it just George Stout and I, or do you also agree?

                        It is amazing how the world can change in the lifespan of a fruitcake. 

            In a world that is ever changing, it gets easy to just expect things in our life to change. It becomes very natural for us to have no understanding of anything that is truly constant. I mean, yes there are some things that are constant, such as the earth revolving, and new humans being born everyday, people dying everyday, and things of that nature. But more frequently in our everyday lives and in our personal encounters, the only constant that we see, is change itself. And this can be a very demoralizing insight for many. And I have to admit, it is a bit depressing. and often times it actually hurts. When people are constantly changing or situations are constantly changing shape, it can hurt. When someone tells us that they love us one day, and then their actions show something totally different the next day, it can hurt. When someone makes a promise to us, and then that person breaks their promise due to changing circumstances, it hurts. Inconsistency and change can really hurt sometimes. But listen, no matter how crazy your life becomes, no matter how your world changes, don’t lose faith and don’t lose hope!

            I want you to remember something: Your creator is the God who is absolutely unchanging! He is the God who is absolutely faithful! He is the God who knows your name and who has a plan for your life!⁵ See, God is for you and He stays absolutely faithful even when your world is upside down!

            I love the way that James put it in his New Testament letter:

                        ¹⁷Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like the shifting shadows. ¹⁸He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of all he created⁶

            Yes, we may live in a world that is ever changing, but the God whom we serve, has been the same for more than 15,000 years! Just look at some of the Biblical examples of his faithfulness. In Genesis, God promised Abraham that his decedents would be more numerous than the stars. In Joshua, the Lord promised Joshua that he would give him the city of Jericho. In 2 Samuel, God promised David that his kingdom would endure and his throne would be established forever. In Jeremiah, God promised freedom for his people after their 70 years in exile. In Isaiah, God promised to send a child through a virgin whose name would be “God with us”. And the best part about all of these promises, is that every single one of them came true! God has made true on every promise that he has ever made! God has been faithful since the beginning of time! And just like God was faithful to his people 2,000 years ago, God will remain faithful to you in this day and age! God is faithful about being faithful!

            I don’t know what is going on in your life but just remember this: No matter what is going on in your world, your heavenly Father is the most faithful and constant being of all time and eternity! If God once made you a promise, prepare yourself, because He will make good on his promise! God isn’t in the business of making great promises and breaking them, God is in the business of making the best promises and keeping them! God will be your healer!⁷ God will be your provider!⁸ God will be your savior!⁹ All he wants in return, is the total commitment of your heart, your soul, your mind, and your strength!¹⁰ So no matter what the situation is, no matter what you are going through, remember that God is always going to be God!

            It truly is amazing how much our world can change in a small amount of time. In a matter of days, weeks or months. In the lifespan of a fruitcake everything can change. But no matter what changes happen. No matter what great things come our way. No matter what terrible things come our way. We can have faith and know that our God will remain the same, faithful God that He has always been; He is the same yesterday today and forever!¹¹ So be encouraged! Have some confidence in God and in his son Jesus Christ who gives you life! Despite the changes that have happened in the past lifespan of a fruitcake, God will remain!

Although we live in a world that is totally inconsistent, our God is the definition of total consistency!

Peace

Love

God Bless

            And for the record, lately I’ve been really tempted to bake a cake, put in a box and then eat it like two-and-a-half months later. I guess we’ll see.

For more information on the MFAA of WWII visit http://www.monumentsmen.com/

Bibliogrophy

1. Summerville, Donald. The complete Illustrated history of World War Two. 2008

2. White, Matthew. Necrometrics; The Historical Atlas of the 20^th century. Death tolls Across History

3. Interview Dr. George W. Westlake Jr.

4. Edsel, Robert M. Monuments Men. Center St Hachette Book Group, New York. 2009

5. Jeremiah 29

6. NIV James 1:17-18 

7.  Exodus 15:26

8. 1 Tim 6:17

9. Psalm 65:5

10. Heb 13:8

11. Mark 12:30