Focus on Eternity
By Alexis A. Goring
“So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” - 2 Corinthians 4:18 HCSB
The woes of this world do not arrive in short supply. Watching only a few minutes of the news can fill our minds with worry. Earthly troubles will get worse until human history ends and Jesus Christ takes His faithful followers home to Heaven. Remembering this Bible-based fact helps me to focus on eternity, not the here and now.
The Bible says to set our mind on things above, not on this earth (Colossians 3:2). Recently, I realized I had become burdened by the state of our world and distressed by the injustices and pain. Watching the news makes me want to eat a whole bowl of ice cream just to cope with all that is happening.
But one night as I grew quiet and focused on God’s Word, I realized that He is in control and this world will not last forever. He reminded me of a sermon point by Francis Chan (a Protestant author, teacher, and preacher) called “The Rope Illustration.” To make his point, Chan uses a long, tough, tan color rope, the kind featured in boot camps and at the gym. He tells the audience to pretend this rope goes on forever. Imagine that it’s a timeline of your existence. The rope, he says, exists forever. Then he holds up the short handle of the rope that’s wrapped in red, only about 7 inches long. Chan says this part represents your time on Earth. Most of us, he said, only have a few short years, then we’ve got all of eternity somewhere else. He said that so many people are consumed with this brief time. We worry about what we will eat, drink, and wear. We worry about whether we’ll be able to travel and have enough money to retire well and enjoy the pleasures of this life.
I believe that Chan makes a good point when he asks us in his rope illustration, why would we be so focused on making this little red part (our lives on earth) the best it can be? Why would we work hard to save money to retire comfortably or worse, indulge in sin and all sorts of unholy “fun”? Don’t we realize that will negatively affect how or if we experience eternity in God’s Presence? Yes, it’d be great to be a billionaire and live a luxurious lifestyle, but if we don’t have an active faith in God and a true relationship with Jesus now, it won’t be worth it. We cannot take our riches to Heaven, and life without Christ can be empty and unfulfilling.
I agree with Chan that, like a dedicated runner in a race, we need to focus on the finish line. We need to resist being distracted by everything the world has to offer—good and bad—and instead, we need to focus on Jesus Christ and follow Him all the way to Heaven. We must choose to live for Him every day and do what He asks of us. It’s true that we only have this one life to live on Earth, and how we live it will determine our eternal destiny (Heaven or Hell). Tomorrow isn’t promised. We need to live according to God’s will every moment of our lives. Remember: God has so much more in store for you! He loves you with all of His Heart, and He wants to be with you forever.
There’s a song by Scott Krippayne called “The Best is Yet to Come.” The lyrics acknowledge that this journey of life is long, and sometimes we trip over various stumbling blocks. But each time we fall, God picks us up and encourages us to continue moving forward. We can rest in the fact that we’re not alone because Jesus Christ walks beside us and will never leave us (Hebrews 13:5). The chorus reminds us that the best part of our lives will not happen here in this finite existence. God has so much more in store for us in Heaven (1 Corinthians 2:9), and that’s a promise He will keep. We need to remember the big picture and not the temporary challenges in this world.
Ultimately, we need to remember that God is in control, and death will not be the end of our story when we believe in Him. Therefore, in happiness and sorrow, we focus on God instead of the pain in this world. We’re not home yet. The Bible says we are “pilgrims and strangers” (Hebrews 11:13) just passing through this world. So let’s not get too consumed by the good and bad here, but instead, look to eternity.
Intersecting Faith and Life:
How does it feel to know that Earth is not your true home? In what ways can you focus on eternity today?
Further Reading:
Isaiah 26:3-4
Hebrews 11:10
Hebrews 12:1-2
Luke 1:32-33
Romans 8:18
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images/Tonktiti
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