Eternity Is A Long Time

I remember when I was about 8 years old, sitting in church listening to my Pastor teach; and he said, "Just imagine what eternity will be like." So I did, I closed my eyes, and I thought about five years into my future, then I stretched my mind to think ten, then twenty, then one-hundred years into my future. I stopped to consider just how far away that was. How much would change, how much would exist then, that doesn't exist now, who would be alive, who wouldn't. It kind of scared me to consider. 

Then I began to think past that, doing my best to imagine forever. Trying to imagine thousands of years into the future, taking into consideration, that thousands of years was but a wisp of time in light of eternity. 

As I tried to imagine eternity, I began to have this feeling of falling. My mind was so incapable of wrapping around the concept of eternity, and it started to really scare me. There was no end. There was no finality. There was no way to understand it. 

I couldn't handle this deep contemplative journey my Pastor had sent me on, so I started playing hangman with my friend instead. 

When we stop to consider the idea of eternity it is easy to become overwhelmed or even intimidated. 

Yet the Bible tells us to focus on eternal things rather than the temporary. 

2 Corinthians 4:18 "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 

So why would we want to focus on something that scares us?

There was a major component that was missing from my thought process as a young kid; I think many who struggle when considering eternity, are missing this too.

The power of eternity isn't about massive amounts of time that will pass by.  

The power of eternity is WHO we will spend eternity with. 

As I spiraled out of control when I was 8, trying to wrap my mind around eternity, I was focused on the time passing. I didn't consider that God would be with me during that time. 

So instead of being thrown off by this passage in 2 Corinthians, we should be encouraged.

Here is what this passage is saying...

Instead of focusing on the challenges we see in our world today, our lack, our needs, our pain, we need to focus on what is unseen. We need to focus on what is eternal, God, and His never ending love for us. 

So I extend the challenge my Pastor passed on to me those years ago, "Imagine what eternity will be like." 

But allow me to make this small change. 

"Imagine what eternity will be like, with a God who loves you, and let that happy thought cover any worries you may have about today." 

Loved By Our Father

Last week my two oldest kids started going to a new school. As a parent, I have always struggled to send my kids off to anything new, or potentially risky. I want to go ahead of them and make sure everything will be okay, and then I want to walk right along side of them to make sure everything stays perfect for them.

Unfortunately, that is not the present reality I live in.

My kids are bright, and I feel like they do a great job connecting with other kids their age, but I just hate the unknown, and the potential of unforeseen issues they could run into.

My mind is riddled with questions, "what if someone is mean to them?" "what if they need something, and no one is there to help them?" "I wonder if they are secretly wishing we hadn't changed schools."

I struggle with these questions, and I want to remove any obstacle they might potentially run into.

But I can't.

I have to consider the reality that someday my kids will be teenagers. In fact, someday they will be adults.

If the day my kids reach adulthood is the first time they are asked to face a difficult decision, or a difficult person alone, I have failed as a parent.

Parenting is a complex balance of helping to remove obstacles in our kids path, as well as helping them to work through tough situations on their own.

I feel I have learned more about God by being a parent than in any other area of my life.

The first part of 1 John 3:1 says, "See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!"

God is our Father, and He loves us so deeply.

I am His son, and He loves me more than I can imagine. So at times, He will remove an obstacle, or open a door that will benefit me. Yet still, there are times when He will choose to help me work through a difficult situation with His help instead.

I love my kids, and anyone who has spent ten seconds around me and my kids knows that to be true. Sometimes loving my kids means standing back a little and letting them work through a situation, so they can grow through it.

In an infinitely greater way, God loves me and you. Anyone who spends even a brief moment in His presence knows that to be true. Sometimes loving us looks like standing back a little and letting us work through our situation so we can grow through it.

When the Season Changes, Change

When I was in my early 20's and in the Army, I would spend my mornings running countless miles, and doing thousands of push-ups, sit-ups and other calisthenics. By the time 8:00 or 8:30 rolled around, I had expended more energy than I care to remember.

The great part of this was, I was burning so many calories each day, that I could eat whatever I wanted, and never gain a pound.

There was this sandwich place on base that made these awesome Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches. I would order two enormous sandwiches and a large order of cheese and bacon fries. I remember times when I called that monstrosity of a meal "lunch" multiple times in one week.

The problem was, when I got out of the Army, I never considered changing my diet. After a couple of months eating exactly the same as I was, but not continuing the insane workout routine, I gained close to 40 pounds!

My season had changed, but I didn't change with it.

This same concept applies to the different seasons in life we each walk through.

Maybe you were going through a difficult time with a relationship in your life, and even though that toxic relationship is out of your life, you still remain defensive and reserved toward others.

Maybe you went through a time of sickness, and even though you are well now, you still avoid getting out and doing new things out of fear of how your body may respond.

Isaiah 43:19 Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. 

God is frequently doing something new in our lives, and we need to adapt and change as those changes come.

When the cool Spring time begins to warm into hot Summer days, we change the clothes we wear to match the season we are in. In the same way, we need to adjust our thinking, our attitude, and our approach as our seasons of life change.

Let me encourage you to consider the season you are in. Are you still wearing the garments from your previous season? Or are you walking fully into your new season with eyes wide open?

Throw off your winter coat and enjoy the sun.

Thinking Differently

I don't know about you, but my mind has been one of my worst enemies at different seasons in my life.

No, not just because of my struggle with math.

Have you ever had a thought, a moment, or a subject that you absolutely hate to remember; yet your mind finds the worst times to focus on that very thing?

I can remember in Jr. High and High School having these really intense thoughts that I wish I could have erased. They were thoughts of self-hatred, shame, or a general despising of different parts of my personality. I hated when these thoughts would come flooding in, the moment they arrived I desperately wished they were gone.

In those teenage years, my tactic for avoiding these thoughts was to move at such a fast pace, to be so overly dramatic and loud, that it would drown out the thoughts I wanted to avoid.

It seemed to be a working model for a while.

Then it starting to become clear to me that the way I was acting, the persona I was portraying to the world, was completely wrapped up in my fear of these ugly thoughts.

I had become a person completely focused on avoidance. I couldn't stop or slow down, because the thoughts I had come to fear were always just two steps behind me.

I finally came to the realization that I had to face these fears, face these thoughts. I was wearing pretty thin. Truth is, I was so exhausted emotionally I just didn't care anymore.

During this time, God brought a Bible verse to my mind. You may have heard me reference it before.

2 Corinthians 10:5 "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."

Somewhere along the way, I started believing running from my negative thoughts was the best I could hope for.

I was wrong.

I had the answer all along. I was tired of being taken captive by each of these thoughts. So instead of letting these thoughts roam free in my mind, I needed to take each of them captive.

It may sound silly, but I pictured this whole process in my mind. Taking my thoughts captive, and locking them up. The great part was, I realized since I was the one locking them up, the only way the thoughts could come out, is if I let them out.

God never said in His Word, (the Bible) that life would be perfect. In fact it says pretty clearly that we will have valleys and mountains. We will have seasons of great things, and seasons of difficult things.

In Romans it says how we should respond to each of these seasons.

Romans 12:12 "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer."

When affliction comes, it is easy to run. For me, it was especially easy to run. But God doesn't tell us to flee in affliction, He says be patient.

Allow me to encourage you with this. You have a lot more control over your thoughts than you give yourself credit for. If you can be patient, and take the time to try this, you will be glad you did.

If you have some fears, some memories, or some hurts, that have set up camp like an unwelcome guest in your mind; it's time to clean house.

Simply close your eyes, ask God for His help, and try this simple exercise.

Think for a moment on whatever thought that has been bothering you; now picture the ugliest, meanest, rustiest, looking cage your imagination can create. Then place that thought inside of that cage. Close the gate, and then place the galaxy's most durable padlock on that gate.

You don't need to run anymore. You don't need to distract yourself any longer.

Just choose to think a little differently, and remember you have the ability to take any thought captive.