"I just need something tangible to hold on to."
The woman that spoke these words was raising three children by herself after losing her pastor/husband to cancer. She was hurting, and searching for answers. In trying to encourage her to hold onto her faith, the well-meaning Christian cliches she was getting from some weren't helping. The reminder to "just hold onto your faith" wasn't enough. What that really meant was now being questioned. Thankfully, there were those that came alongside her in her pain, in her anger, in her confusion, and just "did stuff", living out the Truth she knew. The tangible evidence of God's love expressed in human action became a guiding light as people did yard work, went to her children's ballgames, took a teenage daughter shopping, brought ice cream late at night and pigged out on the sofa with her. It allowed her a chance to grieve, to breathe, to question without being judged, to find her faith path again, to be patiently guided back to God's Word and the truths that brought comfort, calmed fears, gave wisdom...answers, and peace, all the eternal blessings of being a child of God.
"You have endowed him with eternal blessings, and given him the joy of your presence." Psalm 21:6
This is the epic essence of faith...to live experiencing eternal blessings, to know the joy of Christ's presence as an always present reality and how that impacts my daily life. Eternal blessings...not what we would label just good things, but things of eternal value. These things are not tangible, but they are just as real. Things like unexplained peace and joy in loss; wisdom that enables you to "just know", even against the odds; a calm assurance in what seems an impossible situation. It's about living in the heavenlies, having an eternal perspective, seeing God at work in every circumstance, and rejecting mere happenstance. From the mundane to the magnificent of this life it all reflects the Savior's hand and His heart for His creation. We just have to strive to see it with His eyes, His patience, His hope, the Hope of eternity that brings meaning to this madness. And sometimes it takes a tangible expression of His love for the eternal to be recognized.
As eternity grips the heart, directing the focus back to the heavenlies, the earthly resolve is strengthened. You can trust. You can move forward. You can wait. You can let go of what you cannot control. You can laugh. He wants to give us eternal blessings that guide the heart and give hope and meaning to this life. It is powerful and empowering to grasp the gravity of the eternal. This life was never intended to be just an existence, but rather a purposeful passing of time and relationship, with God and others, full of meaningful (and fun!) experiences.
"The earth is the Lord's and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to Him. Psalm 24:1
Not everyone understands, acknowledges, or accepts this great truth. They don't know the Creator God in a personal way through the saving grace of Jesus. Some know it but lose sight of it in the moment. But He knows them. He knows, and He loves. He works through people, through situations and circumstances, through His creation, through His Word, to draw our focus back to those eternal blessings...what really matters and gives greater significance to the life we are living.
Are you seeing something of eternal blessings in your daily routine? in the hearts of your children as they play? in painful or challenging circumstances? in relationships? in your physical surroundings?Take a moment to seek God, asking for a glimpse of the eternal in this moment, this situation, this day.
Get a grip on the eternal. It will change your today.
