It’s been almost 50 years since Woodstock took place on Yasgur’s farm on a grassy hillside in Bethel, New York. 400,000 people showed up to listen to Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, The Grateful Dead, and many others. It was an iconic moment in American history. I read a recent news article announcing that a team of archaeologists were on the site of the Woodstock concert excavating the meadow to find out where the vendor booths, main stage and sound towers were located. 

When I first read the article, I thought it was odd to have a team of archaeologists digging up a piece of history from my lifetime. I thought archaeology was for old stuff, not events and locations within my lifetime. I tried to imagine the importance of the project, but that was not my call to make. I did see something that actually had some value on a personal level.

If you look back at the life-changing events of your life, what would a team of spiritual archaeologists discover if they dug around in the buried debris? The things we cast away can tell the tale of what took place and the context of where it happened. In the field of archaeology, where an artifact is discovered is important because context tells as much of the story as the item being discovered.

The things that transpire in our life, the good and the bad, need to be deposited at the feet of Jesus if they are going to have a healthy final resolution. This is where the memories of our successes and failures belong if we are going to move forward in life not encumbered by the despair of failure or the pride of success. 

In the remaining history of your life if a team of spiritual archaeologists was to arrive digging around in your life trying to find out why it all seemed to work out so well, what would they find? In their research, I hope they would discover the context of the fruits of your life, the good and the bad, was always at the feet of Jesus. That discovery will reveal the history of a life well-lived.