Do You Have An Eternal Perspective?

A good friend died yesterday.  We’re not sure what happened.  There were no warning signs.  It just happened and his death caught us off guard.

We’ll miss that lizard.

Sam discovered him lying at the bottom of his cage and let out a loud cry.  He inherited his love of all creatures great and small (except spiders) from me… so this was really painful for him.

At Phineas’ funeral, we all went around a said a few words about who he was as a lizard.  Sam closed with these words… “He wasn’t just a pet to me.  He was like a brother.”

It took everything I had to not fall over laughing.  If Sam thinks his lizard was “like a brother“… we need to get this kid out more.  🙂

We can become really attached to things here on earth, can’t we?

Our alliances run pretty deep.  There are some people and things that we place in a very high position.  Maybe even too high to where they get more attention than… God.

There are situations that can be so painful and difficult that we refuse to see God in it.  We choose to live in the circumstances rather than above them.

I wonder why… as Christ-followers… we don’t have a more “eternal perspective?”  What does it even look like when we do?

Our perspective is eternal when we are more concerned about the things of heaven than entangled with the things of earth.  Do you know someone like that?

• While this man is sitting in the chair getting chemo, the nursing staff is witnessed to.
• When the repair man is done fixing the broken garage door at her house, he leaves a Christ follower.
• When financial ruin sets in for this family, the church still receives their usual monthly tithe.

Why?  They have an eternal perspective.

When something bad happens, it is used for the glory of God.  Everything in their life seems to have a divine purpose.

Paul provides a perfect example.  In Philippians 1:18-26, Paul is in prison (again) but rather than get discouraged about his circumstances, He trusts God to work it out for his deliverance… be it life or death.  He just wants to exalt Christ no matter what.

His life’s purpose was to boldly speak for Christ and become more like Him… no matter the cost.  He was able to rise above what life threw at him – time and time again – and look heavenward.

Paul had an eternal perspective.  Do you?

Let’s not become so attached to things here on earth to the point of us having a horizontal perspective.

I’m not saying that you can’t madly love your family and your friends or enjoy your… stuff.  But when those things carry more weight than your calling and purpose for God… when you stew in your circumstances and become ineffective for God rather than look to Him expectantly for deliverance… you need to look up.

You need an eternal perspective.

Look, life is gonna “ding” you (like that is new news, eh?).  You will suffer.  Things will knock you down.  Hurt will happen.  You will face challenges, both big and small.

So… what will you do?

Wallow in it… or… find and then maintain an eternal perspective.  It’s up to you.