I once had a pastor that consistently encouraged the church to keep an eternal perspective. It’s kind of a broad statement but I think it is less about pondering a destination and much more about relying on a very real relationship. You see, eternal life is not a place we go but a Person we know! Eternal life is Jesus! When we keep cadence with the King and align our hearts and eyes with Kingdom come, we can experience Eternal Life in the here and now! It guards us from glorifying the high moments in life and grumbling in the low…
I heard a story recently that caused me to ponder perspective. I mean, if we are all honest, life this side of heaven would be beyond difficult without the proper perspective…an eternal perspective. The story went something like this:
A farmer had a horse that ran away.
His neighbor said, “Oh, that is such a shame!”, but the farmer replied, “Is it?”
The next day the horse returned with a second horse!
The neighbor said, “Oh my! What a blessing!”, but the farmer replied, “Is it?”
Shortly thereafter, the farmer’s son went for a ride on the new horse, but the horse reared up and the young man fell off and broke his leg!
His neighbor said, “Oh, now that is such a shame!”, but the farmer replied, “Is it?”
The very next day the farmer and his neighbor received word that the government was going to war & thus were drafting all men between the ages of 18 and 30.
Because the son’s leg was broken, he could not be drafted.
The neighbor proclaimed, “Oh my! What a blessing!”, but the farmer replied…
Y’all get the gist! This side of heaven would be miserable if we did not have a steadfast and loving God who can be trusted with every single solitary thing we face!
We would all be riddled with anxiety and stress and fear if we did not securely fix our gaze on the only One worthy of our trust! Jesus!!! He’s got it all handled! He is the Alpha and Omega! The beginning and the end! He knows all variables and we can trust Him with them all!
The perspective of the farmer is so vital! He does not rejoice too highly over circumstantial highs and he does not mourn too deeply over circumstantial lows...giving airtime to either sets our hearts on things of this earth…whether it’s a financial win or woe, a relational concord or conflict or a personal vice or victory, how might our hearts remain steady if we kept lock step gaze with the only One worthy of the very words we speak? The One who is not of this world but came TO our world as eternal life so that we might experience Him now, knowing that someday we will spend eternity with Him?
The farmer chooses to remain calm,
centered,
rooted,
anchored, and unshaken…
We can do the same! Isaiah 28:16 says that the one who believes in the Lord need never be shaken!
Another one of Jesus‘s names is the rock! The term for rock literally means bedrock!
Not a Pebble
not a stone
not a boulder,
but a bedrock!
Fascinating side note – I recently learned that the entire city of Atlanta, Georgia is built upon bedrock! The outcropping of Stone Mountain is a visual of what lies underneath the houses in which we reside…but on a grander scale, it is a nature-made visual of Jesus who is the foundational Rock right beneath our feet!
Our very lives are founded and grounded in the bedrock security and perspective that only Jesus provides!
He is our salvation!
He is our rock-steady security!
And He is our eternal life!
May we ever keep an eternal perspective, eyes fixed on keeping cadence with the King who alone is worthy of our words of praise!
PRAYER: Holy Spirit help us…help us to remember that Jesus IS Eternal Life in the here and now.Regardless of what is shaking all around us, help us to follow your path and wield our thoughts and words to sacrifice a word of thanksgiving to You alone.
The next time I am tempted to grumble, how might I honor the Lord with a sacrifice of gratitude?
Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to grant you an eternal perspective. When the highs of life unfold like a gift before you, relinquish the temptation to rejoice over circumstances and choose instead to rejoice over Jesus.And when the lows come creeping in, lay them at the feet of the Father and choose to honor Him with praise for any tangible praise you can speak…even if its just for the fact that you were aware enough not to complain!
p.s. Here's an amazing song by Hillsong UNITED that is ALL about perspective!