Thoughts on Life and Eternity

Has it occurred to anyone that life is really a very strange thing? I mean, we're technically eternal beings, and yet we can't really tell, or at least we don't act like it. We're locked into this finite material universe, in which there is a start and finish. Yet, that's not really what we are. In reality, we don't have a clue what we are really like, and won't until we're out of this universe, because we simply can't even fathom anything else...

And if we think it's weird for us, just imagine God, who is not only eternal, but created the universe we're locked into for the moment, deciding to subject himself to the same thing.

While we're here, we can't seem to keep an eternal perspective. Yet, in reality, our life on earth is simply a rabbit trail off the highway of existence. While we believe what God has said about our lives, Jesus' life, and the ultimate plan, we don't always, or even usually, live that way. Why?

Well, all I can say is that it must have to do with the fall, and yet, I wonder, did Eve really have an eternal perspective when she ate of the fruit? Or did she, but it was simply overridden by the temptations? In which case, she was little different from us, except that she was only able to sin in one way, where as we are sinners by nature. Well, it's an interesting discussion, but still, we have the same issue at hand: why?

Why put us into this material universe at all? Why cause this disconnect from eternity?

I can't answer, and I don't suppose it's something that truly can be answered, for the same reason we have to ask the question in the first place: we are finite.

Whether we can answer all the why's and why-not's, the entire topic is one that ought to be given much thought. People talk about living eternally and then apply it to things like, "don't focus on gathering wealth" and "go into ministry - it's the most important" et cetera. But, what about the truly every day? What about getting so caught up - in our schedules, relationship issues, plans for the week/month/year, church and even just the things that keep our life on earth going: shopping, cleaning, cooking, sleeping, eating - that we completely lose sight of REAL life. Real life - the life that goes on forever, that will either end in eternal agony or eternal joy, glory and fulfillment in complete fellowship and communion with God.

Forgetting is ever so easy... and ever so serious.