Life is not going to last forever.
I have been thinking about that lately. I mean, life is only, on average, 70 years or so. Life is but a vapor. I feel as if a sudden urgency has been thrust upon my heart. I feel like time is running out. Thinking about eternity blows my mind. This life is what I like to call the “womb of eternity.” I sense this short time on Earth coming to the end, and I am realizing that I need to be ready to stand in front of my Father. I am also realizing that I need to live like I’m going to die. This concept may seem morbid and depressing, but I am really starting to ask the tough questions. What am I going to truly live for? What is God looking for? What could He possibly want? He was everything at His fingertips, so what could he be searching for? This life is not in vain; it is not a waste. There is something bigger going on. I need to get onto what God is doing, because He’s the only thing that lasts. I need to understand that He loves me, and grasp that His love is sufficient. Most of all, I need to live for love. God is love, but not just a passive love. God is an all-consuming fire. He wants to take over my life, and consume me from the inside out. He is jealous for me. The answer to what God is looking for is love. He is looking for hearts that are loyal to Him and men and women who are aligned with him. He is searching for people who are equally yoked with Him in love. I am going to live for the audience of One. I’m going to discover what it looks like to love the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, strength and mind, because He loves me with all His heart, soul, strength and mind. Love is loyalty to the truth. Love is not tolerance. Love is humility. I am discovering that I am caught up in something so much bigger than me. Small things are ceasing to preoccupy my mind. Now I see with a divine perspective that this brief time on Earth, this vapor called life, is my one chance to respond in love. This is my chance to respond to God without offense. This is my chance to respond to Him in whole hearted abandonment. This love is the one thing I will be evaluated on when I stand before Him on that day. It will not matter on that day how successful or talented I was in this life, the only question He will ask me is, “Did you learn to love?” Loving like this is not easy; don’t get me wrong. It’s a battle to keep my mind focused on Him and away from petty things. Though I struggle, I am asking Him to help me, because it takes God to love God. This quest for love may be a battle, but if I do not quit I win. When I catch myself becoming immersed in earthly things, I strive to disown the thoughts that are not heavenly. I am not a sinner who tries to love; I am a lover who struggles with sin. I was made for love. I was made for something to live for, something to die for, and something bigger than this mundane every day existence. Living for love is not easy, but He is worth it. It catches His eye and He is greatly pleased.
I’ve but a moment to decide. Less than a minute to move You. Life is a vapor, fading fast. In less than a moment, it will pass. It will be remembered, like a dream in the night. You’ll write it in Your book; I delight to do Your will in simple devotion. A memorial of love; it will be remembered through all the ages. This moment of life, it will be Your treasure, Your pearl of great price. It’s not in vain.
You will remember love.
Hi Erika,
ReplyDeleteI stumbled upon your post today while looking for lyrics to a song I heard in the IHOP prayer room this morning. The same conclusions you have come to I have been struggling with these past few months. This concept of living for eternity is so hard to grasp.
"Life is a vapor, fading fast. In less than a moment, it will pass. It will be remembered, like a dream in the night."
How do we change our perspective? Life is so demanding, from school to work. In order to be successful, we are told to be immersed in our work. This is a central theme for myself as a PhD student. How do we maintain a "divine perspective" or an "eternity perspective"? What does this look like from day to day?
Thank you for your post. I pray that God continues to bless you with more revelations of his character and his love. And please continue to share your thoughts.
Hey, thanks so much for commenting..
ReplyDeletePerspectives are hard to change, it is a large adjustment to one's beliefs. I have been pondering eternity a lot lately, and I have come to the conclusion that it is all that really matters. This life, as mentioned, won't last forever. I've been trying to shift my focus from the things that don't matter to the things that truly do count... and in the process my perspective has changed. Life is demanding, I agree. I have to be sure to set aside time for God and redirect my focus constantly. I believe that daily I need to keep aligning myself with God. This may mean fasting, this may mean meditation, or this may mean worship, depending on what I am struggling with. A divine perspective, to me, is about realizing that nothing on this earth matters. I'm trying to be completely abandoned (Psalm 45:10-11), and live a life that will prove worthy when I stand before Him on the great judgement day. It is hard, but if we don't quit, we win. I will be praying that God will make clear to you what a divine perspective really looks like, and I know in time He will.