“So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen.  For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.” – 2 Corinthians 4:18 NLT

“Until you come to recognize the fact that God is a reality to your toil just as much as He is a reality to your faith you will stumble in this world, and will be perpetually falling.  You cannot take up any matter that comes to your everyday struggle, and look at it really with the finest insight until you look at it spiritually.” – W.R. Davis

“The grass withers, and the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.” – Isaiah 40:8 ESV

One of the most difficult things a human being must overcome in this world is looking at their life as if it is a conclusive, definitive, and final experience.  We all get stuck feeling as if what is happening here is all encompassing – that this life is all we have and there is nothing more to it.

If this is indeed all we have, then we must spend our allotted (and often restricted) time striving to attain more, working hard at maintaining our youthful look and feel, and doing first and foremost what our heart desires and finds pleasure in doing.  Here is where we become driven to experience the perfect house, the plentiful bank account, the youthful, attentive mate, the prestigious job, and the luxurious vacations. Since life is seen as limited, we strive for more of all it has to temporally offer us.

And if we are not striving, we are living in a state of fear.  When the bank account is empty, our partner has left us, our health is failing, or age is creeping up on us all too quickly, we become afraid we have missed out – lost our opportunity on living a life we always wanted.  With the fear comes resentment, and with resentment, bitterness, jealousy, and a life that is now filled with hurt and emptiness.

It is so hard to deal with the here and now (something every one of us must face) yet see it connected and interrelated to something bigger – something grander than our current circumstance or situation – to see it in the light of eternity and a life that never ends, but continues on.

Because of this natural human tendency, we allow things that are temporal, like the metaphor of withering grass and fading flowers mentioned in the Scripture verse above, to dominate our thoughts and our priorities.  Finances, health, relationships, and jobs are like the withering grass – here one moment and gone the next.  Our youthfulness, our energy, our capacity to maintain optimum health and wellbeing are like a fading flower – full of color and life in full bloom, but elusive and fading as time goes on.

To live a temporal existence focused on an eternal perspective is hard enough for the Christian.  Can you imagine what life is like for anyone who believes there is no God – that what we see now in this world is all we have or ever will have?  It is no wonder when we look at the world currently, we find it full of fear and striving – full of self-indulgence and self-gratification.

 So how can we become better at “fixing our gaze on things that cannot be seen”?

It starts by separating those things that have an eternal perspective to them – those aspects of this temporal world will last forever!

It is caring more about nurturing our soul – the spiritual, invisible side of who we are more so than worrying about how young we look or how physically attractive we are to others.  Think of how much time is spent by folks today dieting, working out at the gym, money spent tattooing and piercing the body with artful designs – and no time is spent in deep reflection, on developing a more meaningful relationship with the Creator, or on prayer, mediation, or seeking eternal meaning in the temporal aspects of a life we must all face.  We seem to be more concerned with a body that is only temporary than we are a soul that has eternal significance.

It is caring more about destiny and legacy – things that we not only leave behind us here but that go on with us once we are gone.  We work hard at building the bank account with a solid career – to fund the lavish retirements, the luxurious vacations, and toys like boats, fancy cars, and ATV’s.  We see the temporal fun that money provides us and miss out on the legacy we could create with it – feeding the needy, giving a financial boost to someone in need, or using it in a way that leaves this world a better place once we are gone.

It is caring about sustaining, lifting up, and supporting relationships that are eternal – like spouses, children, siblings, and family – not seeking ways to tear them down, destroy them, or selfishly abandon them.   It is focusing more on forgiveness than hatred and more on committed love than temporal lust and self-fulfillment.  It is teaching our children the eternal aspects of a temporal life that are far more important to them than what we give them materially.  It is about building a family legacy that not only reaches beyond this world, but one that is felt and sustained in this present, temporal life as well.

It is about using the word of God (which lasts FOREVER) as a guidepost to living the temporal life – wisdom that moves with us eternally to the next one.  Think of how much time is spent surfing the internet, scanning through news feeds, or looking up meaningless trivia – things that are like withering grass and fading flowers?  Think of how many temporal problems can be solved by understanding and studying “eternal words” – yet the gossip of Facebook, or the photos of Instagram, or the info on Snapchat tends to be more “temporally” interesting?

I pray that each and every one of us (myself included!) can begin on a daily basis to purposely separate out those things that are more temporal in nature – placing more of an emphasis on the aspects of life that go on – that last beyond this one.  I believe that if we do, we will drastically improve the quality of our temporal lives in the process.  As W.R. Davis states above, you cannot adequately address the struggles of this temporal life or see them with the “finest insight” unless they are viewed through an eternal, spiritual lens.

May each of us have the wisdom to see the withering grass and fading flowers – the temporary aspects of life that will quickly pass…. and may our lives become entrenched and dedicated to all that lasts well beyond this one!

God bless!