Looking to the future (2 Corinthians 4)

As a child, we often look to the future. We are taught to think of what we will be when we grow up. What classes we will take high school and college. What future we see for ourselves. In high school, one of the yearbook questions is always “where do you see yourself in 5 years?” Of course 5 years ago, no one saw themselves in our current pandemic situation, but that is a different story. This same 5 year question is a question at many job interviews. I know this because I asked this question many a times when I helped interview people at the lab I worked at in Little Rock. We asked it to get a feel of where people thought they wanted to be, did they have something permanent in mind, or was that job just a stepping stone to something else. 

There isn’t much permanent in our life. Each phase we get to is a step. A child may look forward to Saturday morning cartoons, or going to school for the first time. Then they get there, and there is a new something to look forward to: summer break. That continues until a student is looking forward to graduating, then looking for a job, or college then a job. Then someone might be looking forward to getting married and starting a family. Then looking forward to family vacations and babies. But as we have already said, babies don’t last long. They turn into kids then students, then they are gone to start their own adventures. Nothing is permanent. This life is just a stepping stone to something greater. 

As we go through life, we shouldn’t focus on just the next step in front of us, or something 5 years down the road. We shouldn’t hold on to life’s afflictions, looking out for the next best thing. It’s easy to have the “I can’t wait to find a better job,” or “I can’t wait to get that house,” or any other change in our life, none of which is permanent.  We need to have our eternal future in our daily thoughts. 

2 Corinthians 4:17-18 For this momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to wheat is seen but to what is unseen; what is seen is transitory, but what is unseen is eternal. 

Everything we do on earth is momentary. What we see around is transitory, or not permanent. But God’s love is permanent. All the things on earth that we look forward to is just like sand slipping through our fingers. God’s love is eternal, and will always be there, and heaven is our permanent home. Maybe we need to focus more of our efforts in life on how to help other’s reach heaven instead of how we can reach our next goal.