The idea of eternity is so ‘out there’ that it’s hard to even fathom the depth of the term. God is eternal. Past, present and future collide.
Believing in Jesus puts us in that category as well.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”- (John 3:16 NIV)
From the moment we surrender to the will of God, accepting Jesus as our Savior, we most certainly have eternal life. Eternity doesn’t begin once we die. Eternity begins now. Today is the day of salvation. Today is the day of eternity.
However, while our eternal spirits dwell in these finite bodies, we are subject to time. We age. We watch the sun rise and go down. The seconds tick by on our (smart) watches. Those of us with children get to watch time literally fly before our very eyes as the little ones grow.
So what is time to a mundane promised eternity?
“To everything there is a season, A time for everypurpose under heaven: A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted; A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up; A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing; A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throwaway; A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak; A time to love, And a time to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace.”-(Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 NKJV)
I could spend weeks dissecting each word in this passage. However for the sake of time I just want to share what this speaks to me on a macro level.
I live in Texas so we are really just now entering into the season of fall. Reds, golds, yellows and browns; the leaves are changing colors and beginning to fall. If I didn’t know from experience, it would seem as though the trees were dying. But the trees aren’t dying, they’re losing their leaves so that only the strongest parts of the trees remain to withstand the cold.
A loss is a gain.
Less leaves means less energy used to provide for those leaves and more energy used elsewhere in order for the tree to survive longterm– that’s the Reader’sDigest version.
Removing one part to build up the whole.
See Solomon was describing this relationship between conflicting moments, and the last bit of this passage is my favorite!
“He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.”- (Ecclesiastes 3:11 NKJV)
We can walk unhindered throughout these cracks in time because we have eternity in our hearts.
The seemingly bad times are just that, moments in time! The temporary challenges do not have the authority to overrule the promised eternal life placed within you. I know, I know. Who wants to hear that when they are going through it? But it’s true, and dwelling on truth when the hurdles arise is the best way to keep one foot in front of the other.
All of us are experiencing one of these moments in time. We’re all in a season. So remember, it’s just that, a season. Another is coming.
Let this season bring about the growth in your heart that will help you survive and thrive during the next! Not only that, but know in the very marrow of your bones that God is making everything beautiful in it’s time. As a believer in Christ, your time is now. You can choose to see the beauty, the life, and the blessing now regardless of the death and curses occurring throughout the world.
Look around and find the beauty.
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I encourage you to pray for the Lord to show you the beauty and to change your heart to choose the blessings even when you don’t see them!
frolicinfields 