What does it mean to be eternal?
This Easter I posed the question;
Would your days unfold differently if you woke up each morning and reminded yourself that you are an eternal being?
In an article in Time Magazine, a 1997 study was published that reported 81% of Americans responded affirmatively to the question ”Do you believe in the existence of heaven, where people live forever with God after they die?”
81%! A lot of people believe in eternal life. And what I would like to ask is how is this strongly held belief in eternity effecting our lives now? What would it look like to really consider what it means to be eternal?
To consider the eternity of our own spirits is to be reminded of the mortality of all the seemingly substantial “things” we deal with every day. Our cars, our homes, our jobs, our wardrobes, our bills, our overweight or underweight bodies, our savings accounts, our art work, our wedding rings, our to do lists, our mortgages…… it seems that almost everything slips away.
And so what is it that stays?
To wake up each morning saying “I am an eternal being,” is to shift our attention to the “things” that do stay. To the ways in which we are shaping our eternal spirit.
Am I inviting kindness into my life? Am I facing my fears? Am I able to be still with myself, with those I love and with God? Am I able to experience joy and find joy in the Lord’s creation?
These are just a few questions we might ask ourselves if we were to truly shift our life focus from the impermanent to the eternal.
What would your days look like if you remembered your eternal nature?
April 15 2010 10:40 am | Eternal Life
