Why is it so easy for Christians in my estimation to forget that this world as we currently know it is not really our home? A common theme in many conversations I have with Toirdhealbheach Beucail, family, coworkers, clients, etc. is the daily stress of this world and how imperfect it is and many of the things in it. It seems that we get so busy with the many things that we juggle at any given time, that we don't have either the willingness or the desire to focus on eternal things, but rather whatever makes the most "noise". We spend our time focused on resolutions, goals, desires, wants, needs. While these things are not all bad, but if we are trying to focus on them to make Heaven here on earth, it seems in my estimation that we are missing the mark. Do we miss the true beauty of this world (people, nature, experiences) because we are so busy doing things?
For those of us who put our Faith in God and believe in the inerrancy of the Scriptures,we know that we are "just passing through" this world and believe that we will spend eternity in the one place that is Heaven, in every sense of the word. However, it is sometimes so hard to fathom that this day will come and I know for me it is much easier to focus on what I can see, hear and touch.
As Peter said in 1 Peter 1: "we are strangers in this land". We are in a way meant to be outsiders in this culture..set apart as you will. Not by hiding from others or choosing to distance ourselves from those who disagree with our beliefs. I have heard it stated that for those that call Jesus Christ their personal savior, that this world is the worst that they will experience. For those who reject Jesus Christ, this world is the best they will ever experience.
Where have you become too "at home" in this world?
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Part of it is something CS Lewis alluded to in The Screwtape Letters, that we are a sort of spiritual amphibian, half in the physical world and half in the spiritual world. Our society has not helped this by discouraging any aspect of a spiritual side, especially that of Christian Spirituality.
That said, we also do it (as we've discussed) because we have a sin nature as well. In that sense, the physical world can make gratifying our sins very easy and rewarding.
Third, we don't really appreciate what heaven is like. We Christians, with some few exceptions (Randy Alcorn for one), don't really have a firm idea of what we're going to.
Love that ending: that those who love and know Jesus, this world will be the worst we know. And for those who don't know and accept Jesus this will be the best they'll know. Really good food for thought! Super encourageing for those of us Christians struggling with peace and contentment here om earth.
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