Mike Gilland
Without a doubt, we’ve all done it—engaged in that inevitable brain-wasting exercise of trying to comprehend eternity. I can remember lying in bed as a middle school student and wrestling with the concept of a never-ending state of forever. It is enough to exhaust a young mind—and an old one too, for that matter.
What has caused all this “forever” contemplation is the fact that we have been anticipating a visit from my son and his family, and that time is now here.
My daughter-in-law has a wonderful custom of helping her children prepare for a coming trip. She constructs a chain out of paper, and every day leading up to their trip, they break off a link. The children get really excited when it is down to only a couple of links, because they can see that the long-awaited day is near!
But, experience has taught me that as precious as these days are and will be during their visit, this trip will end all too quickly, and like a flash, they will be on their way back home.
Such is life in this present time. But for a believer in Jesus, a glorious day awaits, one that will begin when this life ends. The apostle Paul taught that to die is “gain,” and to be absent in this life is to be in the presence of Jesus, and with Him we will live…forever. There is that word again.
Yep. My brain just can’t quite comprehend it. But it is true nonetheless. That day is coming for us all.
So, with that truth, how are we living today? I heard a long time ago that the secret to living well is to live today with an eye on that day, the day that dawns eternity.
The reason this is helpful is the fact that as humans, we tend to settle into routines that keep our minds only on the present. We get comfortable, and we forget to prepare.
In Psalm 90:12 says, “Teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.”
As I read that verse, I can see that my daughter-in-law has given her kids not only a fun way to anticipate an event, but she is helping them grow in an understanding and comprehension of time.
You see, we all have the same amount of time in a day. How are we using it? The wise person is using today to plan for that day.