Saturday, October 4, 2014

31 Days Of Strength In Scripture: Finding Eternity (Hint: Don't Look Too Far)

Ecclesiastes 3:11 - “...He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end.”

Romans 1:19 - “because that which is known about God is evident within them: for God made it evident to them.”
 
God is evident to all
 
A few days ago my kiddos had lunch underneath their 'secret picnic tree' (Hannah's words). I love that the weather has been so great for enjoying the outdoors lately (It has meant that they've enjoyed it, and I've been able to get a lot more done!), and I couldn't resist getting a pic of them taking part in such a simple pleasure. They often remind me that I need to stop every once in a while and do the same.

I often wonder if a big reason why our culture feels so disconnected from God is because we don't spend enough time enjoying this kind of simplicity. I know we're always talking about how technology has divided our attention and how we need to put down the iPhones, etc, but maybe some of us have a hard time pulling away from it all because we don't know what we're missing.

Anytime I go camping or just spend some time in the outdoors for a while, away from my home and everything that is comfortable and easy, I am reminded of what it's like to feel as though I'm a part of something so much bigger. In life I get caught up in the 'here and now'. As a wife and mother, life can be very ordinary – the messes are big, the children are loud, the dishes are aplenty, and the laundry is unending. When is there a moment to contemplate the big questions of the universe?

But away from all of that? Under a vast starry sky and a moon bathing the earth in its light? That's when I get it. That's when I feel it again – the eternity that He has set in my heart. How BIG is THAT? He has made Himself evident to us within our own hearts. You would think we'd spend less time ignoring it.

That's why the things of this earth will never satisfy me. That's why I have desires that can't be filled here and now. That's why I crave purpose and meaning beyond what the world can give me.

But it is comforting to know that one day all that will be fulfilled, and I would do well to more often remember the hope for eternity that is within me. Perhaps I need to get a secret picnic tree to retreat to every once in a while.