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Eternal
The annual awards dinner for the company was held at a high rise. Huge windows and dimmed lights enhanced the spectacular view of the city at night. People dressed in their best milled about, dutifully contributing to the murmur of the crowd and the clink of the glasses.]
Then came the speech. A hurrah to encourage the sales people to reach for the stars, shine their brightest, fulfill their greatest potentia1. Inspiring words designed to define success as wealth and fame. People clapped in assent, and I found myself wanting to agree, yet there was another voice within: "We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:18). What is seen is temporary... the beautiful view, the elegance, the wealth, the achievements ... all temporary. It felt permanent, worth striving for. That is the powerful delusion of this world.
Scripture calls us a peculiar people. I looked up "peculiar" in the dictionary. It says we are "odd or strange." I suppose to the world we are strange. But I think the other definitions are more accurate for us: "Having a character exclusively its own. Select or specia1." And my favorite: "Belonging exclusively to one," except that should be "One," capital O.
We peculiar Christians are forever learning the difficult balance of living in the world without being of the world. In that daily struggle, I'm thankful for our Lord's simple yet profound guideline: If you can see it, it is temporary.
Strive for what you cannot see-a deep relationship with your Father; love, joy, peace ... That is worth the struggle. That is eternal.
-Maria Lund