Living in Light of Eternity

You are eternal. That is a seriously long time!

I remember laying in my bed one afternoon many, many years ago trying to grasp the concept of eternity. I closed my eyes and kept picturing billions of stars one after the other. I kept travelling further and further out in my mind, knowing there was never an end. After about thirty minutes of mental imaginings, the idea that there really is no end point ever really sunk in and blew me away.

Without the understanding of eternity, of grasping the fact that your soul, your energy, goes on and on and on without end, scripture doesn’t make much sense. How we as Christians face opposition, trials, temptation, rude behavior—everything really—makes no sense in the short term. But when you consider that this lifetime as a mere drop in the vast ocean of eternity, faith crystallizes and becomes clear.

Consider the following:

For the joy set before him (Jesus) he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2)

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven. (Matthew 5:11-12a)

You have been taught to love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you this: love your enemies. Pray for those who torment you and persecute you—in so doing, you become children of your Father in heaven. He, after all, loves each of us—good and evil, kind and cruel. He causes the sun to rise and shine on evil and good alike. He causes the rain to water the fields of the righteous and the fields of the sinner. It is easy to love those who love you—even a tax collector can love those who love him. And it is easy to greet your friends—even outsiders do that! But you are called to something higher: <