Seek eternity

Reflection

An instruction to seek eternity pushes against the natural pull of daily life, which is almost entirely oriented toward the immediate: today's tasks, this week's worries, this year's plans. Scripture repeatedly asks believers to widen that lens. Paul writes of fixing attention not on what is seen, which is temporary, but on what is unseen, which is eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18), and Colossians urges believers to set their minds on things above (Colossians 3:2). This is not a call to neglect present responsibilities in favour of daydreaming about heaven; the same scriptures that speak of eternity also insist on diligence, honesty and care for others in ordinary life. Rather, it is a reordering of priorities so that temporary things are held with appropriately light hands, and lasting things, character, relationships, faithfulness to God, are given the weight they deserve. Ecclesiastes observes that God has set eternity in the human heart (Ecclesiastes 3:11), which may explain why purely temporary pursuits so often leave people quietly unsatisfied.

Questions to sit with

• What in your life do you suspect you are holding too tightly?
• How often do you consciously think beyond the concerns of this week or this year?
• What would change if you genuinely lived with eternity in view?

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