Eternity

It is a difficult concept to fathom, especially human beings who have a limited and short-sighted capacity on everything. Thinking about how long eternity is makes my head spin. I'm a visual learner and I see eternity like a time band stretching horizontally forever; there aren't any markers that give measurements, just markers that exist. In any case this chapter is titled "Made to Last Forever." It is nice when you think about it. I like what Warren says in his second sentence, "Life on earth is just the dress rehearsal before the real production." (Warren, 36) I can totally relate to that. If we believe there is an eternity, then we must make sure that we can get as much as we can right, on earth, during our dress rehearsal, so we don't screw it up for the real production. There is a lot of hope in believing that eternity exists. But to me, there is also a lot of pain.

Here's what I mean: Growing up in America has its many many perks, great opportunities and I feel blessed to have been born and raised here. However, our culture doesn't revolve around but speeds through everything. Life is a rat race. It's a race not to a finish line, no. It's a race to who can be the most successful, the richest, the most beautiful, the superlative. Don't take this as a condemnation of materialism but rather that everything we do is always about tomorrow. it's always about preparing for the next day. I've always felt that this is my life, ever since middle school it's been about college. And now it is about New York, moving out of LA and going to NY to make all my dreams come true.

It's never been about today. And I feel that there is an eternity, which can only mean that everything we do today will affect tomorrow and at some point, that tomorrow is going to be eternity. It seems pain-filled; it seems unsatisfactory; it seems like being stretched to a point of being see-through; sort of like what the ring does to Bilbo. That this life is only a preparation for the next. I have NEVER wanted to live forever; immortality isn't appealing and maybe because I am only thinking of it in human/earthly terms. I mean who would want to live forever on this earth?! But God has wired to desire to be immortal because He has created us in His image. He is immortal. But, if we believe all of this, then our lives on earth are short because we have a lot to do. Warren says that when we live with this knowledge, we being to live "in light of eternity." And when we live in light of eternity, our values change, our priorities are reordered, our relationships are held more dear, our life becomes precious and so does our soul and spirit.

Enlightening analogy:

"Just as the nine months you spent in your mother's womb were not an end in themselves but preparation for life, so this life is preparation for the next." (40)

Question to Consider:

Since I was made to last forever, what is the one thing I should stop doing and the one thing I should start doing today?

My answer:

Thing to stop: procrastination for all things, even becoming a Christian,

Thing to start doing: slowly proclaiming the Word through my actions, my words and how I portray myself to other.

What are your thoughts?