There’s a word in the German language, sehnsucht, that C.S. Lewis popularized in his book Surprised by Joy. Sehnsucht refers to the yearning and longing our human hearts feel for more, for an unnamed place or the fulfillment of desires that cannot be quenched in this world alone. This Romantic concept was key to Lewis’s eventual belief in Christianity. He often encountered everyday things that evoked this pang of longing, like the smell of a bonfire or the sound of ocean waves, and filled him with an insatiable desire for more that he couldn’t quite explain. It was really the truth behind Ecclesiastes 3:11 that seized him: God has put eternity in our hearts.
Think about that for a moment. Even taking into account what we do know, eternity is a bit of a mystery, isn’t it? From the Old Testament to Revelation, Scripture gives us clues, like tracks in the woods, but not enough to form a complete understanding.
In Scripture, the word eternity refers to the mind-bending truth that God has no beginning and no end, but it can also be used as shorthand for our future life with God—in heaven or in the coming kingdom. We will have the life of God, eternal by its very nature.
But in the same breath, the author also says that “no one can discover the work God has done from beginning to end” (v.11). This statement has always been a little confusing for me. If God put eternity in our hearts, why does He place limitations on our discovery? I want my longing to generate endless insight about what God is up to. Instead, I’m told “no one can discover” what God has done, at least not the full scope of it. There is knowledge He has reserved for His own purposes, which “no eye has seen” and “no human heart has conceived” (1Corinthians 2:9). And so our response to Him must be one of faith.
Although there isn’t anything particularly special about bonfire smoke or sea salt, there are things in this life that catch our attention and draw us toward heaven. For you, it may be the feel of your baby’s hair. For another, maybe the taste of raspberry jam. Whatever it is, Scripture tells us that God has built eternity into the fabric of our hearts and that all creation declares His glory.
But it is still a mystery. God gives us some knowledge, but not enough to discover His full and perfect plan. So, as Christians, we acknowledge that, even if we don’t fully understand what eternity will be like or how time works in the kingdom of God, by faith we believe that God places this longing in us so that we seek and find Him. We pay attention to this “inner knowing” and choose to trust what God has revealed. What we see is not all there is. One day, the veil will be pulled back. Eternity is coming.
Until then, we have crackling bonfires and ocean waves to remind us.
Leave a Reply
97 thoughts on "The Mystery of Time"
God, put a longing in my heart to know you and search you out. Continue to remind me who you are and show me glimpses of eternity, of kingdom. For now, I live in the “hear, but not yet” of the fullness of your kingdom. Help me to continue in speaking and breathing your peace.
At this point I think you guys are good to go. I’m tired. I’m out of water. I have been telling you and YOU EI” ?
Such a good mindset as we launch into 2022!✨
Love this ❤️✨this mystery of eternity in our hearts, driving the seeker towards Him and giving us a taste of heaven
So good!
wow! i love this!
“It is the glory of God to conceal a matter and the glory of kings to search it out.” Proverbs 25:2 I love that God has given us curiosity. The true blessing is that the more we learn, the more we realize we don’t know…but God, the Creator, does! I like to imagine that in eternity, we will be able to follow and explore our curiosities, constantly in awe of what we discover and the One who made it all!
The mountains. The stars. Laughter.
Thank you for this study- and for all of your insights in the comments. Although I am a little “late” to the study—the timing has been perfect — which isn’t at all ironic—
I want to make a list of eternities my heart longs for ❤️
How do I highlight in the app?
If you click the verse, it gets underlined with dotted lines. It should pop up a black rectangle with a couple options to highlight and make a note.
It looks like it only works for scripture, not the commentary part. Which is sad because this is beautifully written and I’d like to highlight too find it more easily again!
Ive found myself feeling the same away about SRT.
So amazing.
This weekend I was talking with my niece and she was reading some surprising facts she found on some site called “today I learned” or something to that effect. She read that there’s some kind of generic code that gives a small fraction of women a fourth cone in their eye—and that gives them the ability to see many more shades of colors than the rest of us can see. It’s incredible! Just considering that made me think it has to be a tiny snippet of what life will be like for us one day—being able to see clearly and a wide spectrum of colors that makes even ordinary things vibrant and beautiful.
I’ve been a Christian my whole life. Went to church every Sunday growing up, and went to a Christian elementary and early middle school. I feel pretty confident in my Biblical knowledge. Yet these SRT studies reveal how absolutely little I know of God’s huge character, still. I’m so thankful that I get a plan that helps me get through these books that I’ve glossed over and never focused on. God is so much bigger than I could ever realize.
Shannon, I was thinking the same thing!! Enjoying SRT soooo much.
Amen!! This reminded me so much of putting my faith into gods hands and HIS timing instead of my timing. I’m reminded of his “knowledge” of all things under the beautiful (but humid!) sun this morning
Just listening to the birds and frogs this morning. Marveling at the detail God put into this earthly creation and how much more there is with eternity. We can’t comprehend or know but it’s so awesome to think about what that looks like or contains but awe struck how wonderful it will be
This was so beautiful and good.
Amen…powerful
I was wandering far from God for a couple of years and yet he has continued to pursue me and call me back to life with him. And it’s been this very thing we’re talking about today — sehnsucht. A feeling, an aching deep in my soul to know the creator. Hallelujah.
This is fantastic! Thanks so much!!! I love Ecclesiastes!!!
❤️❤️❤️
Speaking to the mystery of time- I am likely to think of my life on earth as a straight timeline, with a beginning and end and various points in between. Yet I once heard to view time as an infinite circle. God can see my past, present, and future at the same time with just one glimpse in the circle. It’s practically incomprehensible, but also reassuring to know that He can see me fully sanctified in the end. He knows what I look like standing in the Kingdom. It gives me encouragement to press on.
So grateful for this truth!
This is beautiful and speaks so much truth ❤️
This is so so good Father God.
SARAH D: I’ve been on a similar journey with my sister. She has often expressed a belief that my passion for Jesus is pathological. There is a kind of materialistic worldview that seems to drive her heart and actions. I admit it’s been a challenge for me to stay on course because there has been a desire in my heart to be accepted by her. However, there is gratitude that flows from now having a better understanding of how the Lord is using this relationship with my sister to first wean me off of any idolatrous desires for my relationship with my sister and then to move into interactions with her praying the Lord uses the witness of his steadfast love in me to perhaps drawn her to repentance. It’s not my words which will open her eyes, but the Holy Spirit moving through me (or others) as we sow the seeds and water them. It is God who grows them. I pray for both of our sisters to receive the mercy of God that is what they truly need to be saved and changed — just like us! Blessings to you.
“Forever is written in our souls; a desire for something permanent is woven into our DNA. The result is a desperate longing for the One who has remained the same for all eternity.” She Reads Truth Bible
The beach is my place! I was there a few days ago. It makes me feel closer to Jesus and just feel His presence. I love a good bon fire too. Set a fire down in my soul that I can’t contain that I cant control
This really spoke to me today! Thank you!
I just quit my six figure job. I really prayed hard over this decision and concluded I can have all the money in the world and if I am not the best version of me I’m not the best for my kids and husband Money will come and go however the seeds I’m planting with my kids will have a generational impact. This book is right on time and is breathing life into me each day.
Hi Devine, I just want to encourage you and affirm your decision. 3 years ago my husband and I left our good jobs, big house and nice cars for a 1/4 of the income to follow where we knew the Lord was taking us. We have NEVER looked back and have also NEVER known such joy as we do now!! The Lord is so faithful and will bless your path! Praying you are blessed abundantly in this new season!
I am currently in a similar situation! I make more money than I could have ever dreamed but have felt the tugging for a while to walk away from it so I can invest more in my family and others. I’m currently taking a 3 month sabbatical to test the waters. Your experience is so encouraging. Thanks for sharing!
I walked away from a high paying job as well and now I get to use my graduate degrees to homeschool my children! It’s a blessing that we were able to make this choice, though at times my ego suffers and I feel “not enough”. I love watching God’s plan for us unfold though – it’s full of exciting surprises. I love that he placed eternity in our hearts – I feel the lightness of that so often.
What a beautiful reminder that there is MORE! God has given us nature to hint at eternity. How incredibly special ❤️
I love the glimpses God gives us of what he has in store for us in eternity. Thankful he thought of the little things to make us smile and remember that this is not our home, but he still wanted us to be happy and wanted to give us tiny gifts, even here. What is waiting for us on the other side is indescribable, I’m sure!
there is a time for everything! so very fitting with the times, indeed!
Hey Sarah d. Don’t you see? God is already using you. You are demonstrating a faith beyond understanding and choices that don’t line up with worldly choices. (Being in the world but not of the world) … your sister is seeing your choices and they are making her uncomfortable. My prayer is that they keep making her uncomfortable and that the Holy Spirit would prompt her to ask ‘why?’ Bless You!
I used to think about eternity and be triggered with anxiety. Finally, I’m at a place where it gives me an overwhelming sense of peace. I’m finally getting on track spiritually and learning who Jesus really is and it’s so comforting to read that eternity is in my heart and have a smile on my face rather than a panic attack. Thank you Jesus.
This is such an interesting time in society and these scriptures are so on point with what’s going on in our world. There is a time for everything, but in everything there is God. He is the author and finisher of our faith. I’m so blessed by this devotional.
Yes! Especially the “a time to Embrace and a time to refrain from embracing” that really got to me.
I love how His timing is so perfect. He knew we would be experiencing this at this exact moment in time and He continues to show Himself! So amazing! And these God-ordained revelations at just the right time continue to build my faith! Praise God!
Wow, I absolutely love the idea of God placing eternity in our hearts. What an amazing thought!
I am so loving this chapter study. It is putting a lot of things in perspective for me
Whenever I think about eternity, it puts my mind and heart at ease. No matter what we face in life, we have eternity with Jesus. That’s the promise to always hold on to. Problems and sufferings diminish at the thought of the promise of eternity. Thank you Jesus.
Hey SRT fam, prayer request please. I was texting with my sister yesterday and it seems like she is concerned that things will be tough for me after college because I am “limiting” myself to one area of thinking and not considering the aspects of the “real world” . It makes me really mad because it sounds like she thinks I am uneducated or have not been acquainted with the “real world”, which is very very false. Unfortunately I feel that she and her husband are not strong Christians or Christians at all, because she started this by asking if I always watch shows about “religion”. If she truly knew what a relationship with Jesus is like, she would not be worried for me. In fact, I have come to a place where I’m not worried what happens after college BECAUSE I surrender my worries and doubts to Jesus. HE is the one who has kept me grounded all these years, throughout the many hardships I have faced, and I have full assurance he will continue to do so for the rest of my life. Please please pray for my sister Amy and her husband Chris, that they would not believe Satan’s lies and would come to a place where they long to know the real love of Jesus. Please pray for wisdom for me in what I say to her, that if God wants to use me, he will use me to show his love and share his good news to them. That God would rip the smokescreen that is in front of their eyes to see what they have been missing all along. Thank you all. I know prayer is powerful, and I will be praying every day. Love you all.
Praying for you and your sister Sarah!!
I’ll be praying for Amy and Chris too!
So this will probably date me, but as I was reading the scripture from Ecclesiastes to a song from my childhood starting going through my head. The song is titled, “Turn, Turn, Turn” by the Birds. Then when I finished reading the devotion and read Baiey “One day, the veil will be pulled back. Eternity is coming.” it brought to mind the song “One Day” by Cochren & Co. I guess my mind is straying to music today, which for me is a good thing right now. Lately I’ve been down so anything that will bring happiness, joy and rejoicing, like music, I will take.
I had that Byrds’ tune going through my head as I read just now. You’re not alone in being “dated”. :)
i loved the fact that it was said things like ocean waves, smell of the bonfire, raspberry jam; anything that evokes a feeling of longing in us, gives us a hope for eternity!!
Draw me closer to God! Have a wonder-filled stand-in-awe of the Lord kind of day, sweet ladies!
Mountains, waking up to the Lord’s majestic creation after a night of camping, belly laughs with friends, the smell of fresh baked chocolate chip cookies, the smile and laughter of a child—these are the things that draw me
Sometimes these are called contemplative moments… when the beauty or the experience causes you to yearn for more. A beautiful sunset, a well-played concerto under the stars, the Milky Way, the striking color of a hydrangea, the sun hitting the clouds. These remind me of the transcendent and that someday these fleeting moments will never end. Glory to God!
I love the mystery !!
As we go through the seasons of life, we are reminded that life is fleeting. We are bound by time (God’s time) but God is eternal and timeless. Life on earth is but a vapour.
But we have the confidence and assurance though that God makes all things beautiful in His time. Whether it’s a season of singleness, barrenness, Covid-19, God works out everything for our good. And maybe Covid-19 is giving us the time to pause, reflect and spend time with God.
He has set eternity into our hearts and as we go through life, there are things or events to remind us that this world is not our home. They make us remember that our longings will be fully met when we reunite with God in the new heaven and new earth.
“You have made us for yourself, and out hearts are restless until they can find peace in you.”
-Augustine
I love how this devotion focused upon the concept of eternity being placed in our hearts. However, my thoughts were drawn to verse 8.
There is a time for everything — and that means everything. Even the suffering and sorrows we face in this life have their season. Each of the things on the list in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 has a positive or negative feel to it according to our human perceptions. Yet, in his sovereignty, God has a purpose for each one.
It’s a bit easier for me to grasp the ebb and flow of mourning and dancing, but wrapping my mind around loving and hating has taken a longer time of in depth study to begin to see how “hate” is interwoven with the “love” of God. When Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 6:43-45), I initially thought that meant no hate was good in God’s eyes. However, passages such as this one in Ecclesiastes along with others such as Psalm 15:4; 26:5; 31:6; Proverbs 8:13; Luke 14:26; and Jude 1:23 press me to prayer asking for the Spirit to reveal a deeper understanding of love and hate.
While it’s evident to me that there is a kind of ‘hate’ which is self-oriented, therefore evil, I realized I need a better understanding of a right kind of hate. An article from Desiring God, “Do You Love Your Enemies Enough to Hate Them?:, fleshed out the idea that there is a way that Christ’s love intersects with hate. The matter rests on hating the evil they do as it’s an affront against God while desiring they repent, turning to Jesus for forgiveness, cleansing and transformation. I’m grateful for this deeper understanding and I pray it turns into deep application. May the Lord bless each of you in the same way.
Thank you for sharing your journey on this, profound words and thoughts!
That desire and pull toward something more all answered in one phrase, “he has put eternity in my heart.” WOW GOD! Help me be patient until the day the veil is pulled! ♡
Kristina, the same verse stood out to me as well “a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing”.
I was thinking about when we go back to school in the fall, these sweet little kindergartners will be 1st graders. I miss their sweet faces. I miss them running up to me when I get to work and stretching out their little arms for a hug. I guess it’s a good thing that we are all apart right now. Although the other day when I was running on the trail I ran into one of our families whose kindergartner and I connected well during the school year. And her mother “allowed“ me to hug her daughter. My heart was happy!
“He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. “
This is to be remembered when we find ourselves in the middle of something we can’t see out of, or in times of anxiousness.
May we remember that God makes all things new.
As I read today I drew a vertical ray with the point at the bottom and the infinite arrow at the top.
I wrote at the point, “God’s breath in us.” And at the top, “God embraces us” (picturing us in His presence)
Along the vertical ray I put different lengths of horizontal line segments. For me, this visual represents the opposites mentioned in verses 1-8.
Next to, “give birth” I wrote…don’t give into despair mamas…enjoy this time, it is fleeting! I circled the word “die” and wrote “new life with Christ,” for we will then be home.
I wrote a few other personal notes along the others as well.
That vertical ray, for me represents God’s gift of this life to us, occupied with tasks He provides and allows.
The ray is one piece because He is our creator and gives the breath that starts our journey and it continues forever because He has put eternity in our hearts. We do not understand or know the length of our ray but we know where it will end because we are His children. For the Father himself loves us!
I cannot fathom what eternity will be like but, I know the love of the Father in today and that makes me so very excited for the promise of forever. I can only imagine.
So, so, so, amazing.
This reminder that He set eternity in our hearts is such a timely reminder. My soul feels so confused and conflicted at our world’s current reality. But then The Lord gently reminds me, “ This is not your home.” The ache I feel for more reminds me I am away from the Father. I’m in the in between.
I love this acknowledgement of eternity in our hearts. For me, I feel like this is such a gift from the Lord – we know from His words that this life is full of trials, that we are all human and sinful. This means our life will be full of ups and downs, twists and turns. But these moments, so personal for each one of us, is Gods way of letting us see and taste. I love that the pull of eternity we feel may be different for each of us. I feel it most when it’s a warm day but in comes a gentle cool breeze. It’s comforting, uplifting, and reminds me that God controls all things. I hope and pray that whatever each of you are encountering today’s that you’re able to find a quick glimpse of eternity. ❤️
33I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
What encouraging words! I hold on to this promise especially during this time! It feels like Satan and the sins of this world are so powerful BUT that’s his trick isn’t it to make us forget that God has overcome the world!
I am very present in this metronome way or thinking. My older son is getting married Saturday. This covid-19 wedding has seen many changes not the least from a big Florida wedding to a small family only wedding / reception in my back yard. I find myself minute by minute flip flopping from praise that my son has found a wonderful woman to marry to sadness of a little bit of loss. A time to love. A time to let go.
This is a reminder to live in whatever season God has appointed to us with confidence & purpose. If God purposes this season, He can certainly be trusted in it.
I’ve been reading in a group C.S Lewis screw tape letters. it speaks of the difference between the devil and God. The thing about God is He loves us so much he allows us free choice. God will not reveal his ENTIRE glory and power to us because that is part of his plan for us to willingly come to him and seek him. the desire that isn’t fully quenched is because God has placed just enough glimpse into His wonder and eternity in our hearts to keep us seeking him and just enough mystery and unknown to make it a choice that he isn’t coaxing us and pushing us to him but he is letting us choose to love him and seek him. “by faith we believe that God places this longing in us so that we seek and find Him. We pay attention to this “inner knowing” and choose to trust what God has revealed. What we see is not all there is. One day, the veil will be pulled back. Eternity is coming.”
I just find that to sweet and makes my heart full toward the Lord knowing that he is giving me a choice but also glimpses into his eternity.
I spent time reflecting this morning on how I long for eternity in my daily life. For me, time spent with loved ones and warm fires, wind from boat. Moments in time where I forget about my own thoughts and worries and remember there is more. What catches your attention and draws you to heaven? “God places this longing in ya so that we seek and find Him”.
I also loved the verse Ecc 3:14b “God works so that people will be in awe of Him”.
My now is better than my past and my future is better than my now. All is wrapped up in time.
Realizing and knowing there is more to come and more to life than now.
I’ve read this passage in Ecclesiastes several times, but what jumped out at me this morning was “a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing.” I’ve never fathomed a time not to embrace, and here we are. I’m our church’s children’s director and have been struggling with re-entry plans for our children and families. Such a dichotomy of emotions, wanting to create a safe and healthy environment, but it It breaks my heart to have to think of ways to temporarily distance from the children and families I typically greet with hugs each week. I needed to soak in the last verse today:
15Whatever is has already been,
and what will be has been before;
and God will call the past to account.
I love the verse about how God has prepared doe,thing greater for those who love Him. We long for it deep in our hearts, the closeness with God. And He has a plan, He made us, planned good works beforehand, and gives us a future and a hope, those who know Christ have been made righteous in Him! Praise the Lord, Jesus paid the price and rose to life, now we are His and we walk through life in Him!
There is a small town my family vacations to. We get sticky buns at the local bakery, early in the morning. We eat at the restaurant across from the local inn. We stay up on a hill, overlooking the downtown, with the ocean and the docks and we fill up the church on the Sunday we are there. When you walk through life with Christ, everything becomes more contentment filled. I love this small town, and I enjoy its beauties in the light of God’s handiwork, and His work in me, I enjoy it with Him and I look forward to something more beautiful. I can rest in each season and time, knwoing that Jesus walks them with me and He has overcome. The Spirit guides me and teaches me beautiful things. My Father holds me, and will never let me go.
As you go through your day, think of a verse that God uses to speak to you heart, and remember it, as you encounter each time and beautiful thing, and each speed bump along the way. You are not alone.
For those who experience fear and/or anxiety when thinking about eternity, someone on this site (Thank you whoever you are!) recommended a book called “The Rest of the Gospel” by Dan Stone and David Gregory. I’m only 75 pages in so far, but already it has helped me with the concept of living in this time-bound life, but looking forward to experiencing eternity with God. He explains that when we become Christians, we die with Christ and are raised to life with Him. Therefore, we are beginning to exercise our eternal existence in this time-bound, finite life through the Holy Spirit. He uses an analogy of a line separating the earthly (external) from the eternal (internal), kinda like our study book with what is “under the sun” and what is “in the kingdom.” I’m not doing a good job of explaining it but the book is really helpful! :)
I didn’t realize there was a podcast too!! Thanks for sharing!
This is how I felt reading this too. A sweet reminder that their is a time and season for everything. He is with us through it all.
Churchmouse, I love the metronome analogy. Yes, life has a rhythm– the rhythm’s of nature and our physical being. I think modern life has done far too much to disrupt those rhythms to the detriment of our physical and spiritual health. What a perfect reminder this passage is to listen to the rhythm and abide.
For some reason I had never noticed that phrase, “He has put eternity in their hearts.” I feel the wonder and pull of that so often. Our home is in heaven. Yes, we are to enjoy here and now, which I love that this passage confirms that, but the enjoyment is to be in context of honoring God, glorifying Him, being salt and light, and knowing one day we’ll be welcomed home for eternity.
When I experienced the deepest suffering I ever encountered in my life, my heart was so close to God. I longed for Him all the time. I felt that without Him, I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move another step, couldn’t go on to face another day. By drawing my heart so very close to Him, I had hope. I believe that is the longing that God puts in our hearts from the beginning of time. To draw near to him. To feel His presence. That is eternity, and I think when we walk through fires here on Earth, that longing is so much greater. Although I never want to go back to that level of suffering again, I do long for the closeness that I felt from my Father…I believe that is what eternity will be like.
Beautifully said ❤️
Laura I Also experienced this amazing closeness to God during a terribly hard time. I have thought the same, that I miss that closeness, but do not want to go back to that pain.
JD: Thank you for sharing that information. It was very helpful.
“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”
Ecclesiastes 3:11
I think this explains the human condition well. We can feel both the crushing weight of the shortness of time and the freeing expanse of the immensity of time, and whenever there is friction between two thoughts there will be suffering. I believe the trick is to find a way to embrace both. By allowing time to unfold as is God’s will, yet be present and capitalize on each moment, I think I can end the suffering I have with time.
I love this!❤️
A dear friend who lost her husband described how her heart changed from a desire for heaven ‘someday’ to a consuming yearning for heaven and eternity in a way that she never had before. While I’ve lost people I love, I don’t have that intense desire for eternity. Pretty much everyone I love the most — my husband, my kids — are here. In my house right now, in fact. I’ve often prayed for Him to increase my desire for the things beyond the here and now, because I know how fleeting it is.
thank you for the hope you give Lord. I pray you would allow me to discover more about you every day
Through the study book and the podcast, I understand the key to reading Ecclesiastes is to look for the phrases “under the sun” and “under heaven” (or their variations). When the teacher (Solomon) is speaking about things “under the sun,” he is speaking of Children of Adam – men in their fallen state – who do not know God. When he speaks of things “under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3) we get a glimpse into the truth of the gospel. There is hope for the Children of Adam in Christ. The wisdom of those born again in Christ, “under heaven,” comes from the Holy Spirit and leads us to joy in the knowledge of God (1 Cor 2:9-10). The wisdom of those “under the sun” leads to grief and sorrow (Ecclesiastes 1:18). Be courageous! Christ has conquered the world!
Maybe I’m missing the point of this reading, but when I think of those thing mentioned, my baby’s hair, the smell of the sea shore, the smell of a campfire, I don’t necessarily long for heaven. Those are God’s beautiful gifts here and now and they do make me see his nature more. And make me feel a deep sense of gratitude for his love and grace, but it’s the ugly things of this world that make me long for eternity. Does this make sense? And
I can’t help finding comfort in the fact that there is a time for everything, and at the same time that God has already done everything that will be done. I can rest in my season and I know that God has it covered.
I was thinking somewhere along this line as well. Too often I don’t like where I am at. But I can find peace that it won’t be forever and that God is here with me.
Please let there be Texas Hill Country sunsets, the sound of my 10 year old laughing hysterically, the tight hug of a best friend and the unconditional love of my sweet dogs. God is so good and the best is yet to come ❤️
Well said Churchmouse! And while we are here let us point others to the eternal when they see Jesus in us.
So grateful, especially these days, that this is not our home. When we do enjoy things, we just have to remember, this is nothing compared to the glory coming. Hallelujah!
Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8 sounds like a metronome. There is a time for this and a time for that. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Solomon recognized there is a sort of rhythm to life on this earth. He admits God has “made everything appropriate in its time.” Solomon also recognized there is a mystery to this life, a longing and a yearning for something beyond. This longing and yearning cannot be fully satisfied here. “He has also put eternity in their hearts, but no one can discover the work God has done from beginning to end.” Solomon is correct. So let’s look not so much at the work God does, but let us look at the Maker Himself. By discovering Him, our vision and knowledge expands. When we look at Jesus we see God. We see His nature, His character, His plan and His purpose much more clearly. Nature reveals a glimpse of the grandeur and the creativity of God. Jesus reveals the heart of God. Let us fix our gaze on the eternal and relax in the rhythm of this life. This is not our home. The best is yet to be.
Yes and Amen!