I remember when I first really thought about eternity. I was standing in the middle of my front yard looking out towards the road, woods, and sky ahead of me. I was around 7 or so and these words kept circling in my mind.
Eternity. Forever. And ever. Forever.
I’ll be honest, it kind of did a doozy on my mind. And being more candid, it still really does blow my mind just because I’ve never known anything to last forever. We see school years end, seasons end, shows end, books end, relationships end, days end, and lives end. And yet the idea of something never ending is so unique.
I remember thinking that day, while standing in my front yard, that since life on Earth is not forever, then I definitely want to spend the forever that comes after it in heaven with Jesus. Why would I want anything else?
Why would you want anything else?
Honestly, the hope of heaven is what gets me through some moments… heck, even days or weeks. As I mature, I see my life as a “pit stop” instead of a “main attraction.” I want to make sure that the goals I have here in this life are being used for a greater good and not just to boost my own ego or wallet. The material items I have here on Earth are nice, but they will decay.
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21)
As James says, “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” (James 4:14) Yes, we will vanish. If you have lost a loved one unexpectedly, you know how it feels to have a someone you cherish suddenly vanish. No warning. No age restrictions. No time for goodbyes. Just gone.
Although sobering, I really love the verse in James because it reminds me of what is truly important in life. My faith, how I love, how I give, how I forgive because I was first forgiven, what words I let come out of my mouth, and the state of my heart. That is what will last. That is what I want to be of someone’s memory of me. Those are the gifts, when used for good, that can help store up treasures for eternity.
But don’t get me wrong, there is nothing I can do or any amount of “good” I can be that will get me into heaven. It is only by God’s grace through my faith in Jesus Christ that will get me there.
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8)
So while eternity can be an inexplicable subject, it can also be a source of peace. I trust God to see it through. I know one unnamed day, just like how I decided when I was a child looking into the distance, I will be grateful that my time here on Earth had to end so that my time in heaven never will.
