From Eternity to Eternity

“For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.”

~2 Corinthians 4:17-18 (NRSV).

Imagine being in heaven with God replaying the passage of our existence.

From the perspective of eternal to eternal — a thin wedge; our lives — is time. Time, in contrast to eternity, is a very poor comparator. But, how time magnifies the splendour of eternity!

We rarely ever contemplate how this thin wedge called time is but a blip in the overall journey that we call life — if in fact, we can call our existence, from an eternal perspective, a journey at all.

Discomfort and Pain in Proper Perspective

How do we illustrate, with power, the vast difference between time and eternity? Discomfort and pain are concepts we all relate with.

Immediately the full force of holy truth manifests itself in our minds. Suddenly we realise the very fabric of discomfort and pain that we endure is newly tolerable. Everyone has discomfort and pain to deal with. This is an irrefutable truth. But discomfort and pain are not the point.

The point is truth.

This eternal perspective is truth. God is true and so is eternity, and so is our journey through the eternal realm; time is just a quick sojourn. We see time as a series of opportunities preparing us for entrance into the City of God.

At truth, Faith is Our Shield

Faith is the thing that clears perspective.

If we acknowledge a truth such as eternity — and our part in God’s plan — the temporary burdens and pain and discomfort we deal with in the here and now are entirely tolerable. A God-built faith is one which sees eternity as a truth beyond challenge. It is not hinged in this world, but it sees existence here as a camping trip — a mere reflective diversion via a waystation — on the way home.

What is most interesting is that human beings find it incredibly hard to fix themselves into the eternal paradigm for any length of time.

But this is a thing that we must practice. Learning to see from the eternal perspective — that we are here for a purpose — is rightsizing our overall journey with God. It’s seeing truly. It is coming back to a datum of heavenly significance.

At truth, everything is okay. If we take life a day at a time, living diligently the moment, seeing God in everything, our faith will be vindicated.

Faith is the thing getting us from eternity to eternity.

© 2011 S. J. Wickham.