HERE, WE LONG CONSTANTLY FOR GOD. THERE, GOD WAITS PATIENTLY FOR US.

Sweden has a legend which they believe deeply. “When God gives us a soul, he kisses us. We never forget that kiss. And we always long for another. It is that longing which keeps us wanting more of that kiss. We ache for God to do it again.”

Deep down we long for what God has promised to give whether a new kind of existence; a new home with a body that never suffers want or need; “…for we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed we have a building from God, a house not made by human hands, eternal in the heavens. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling…” (2 Corinthians: 5:1-2)

God wants to welcome all into his kingdom, but we need to begin working toward that here during our earthly lives. What we do in the here and now matters beyond the here and now. We waste so much in this world on fleeting pleasures, and we often forget where our eternal home is.

Our life pursuits must not be for food that rots and spoils but for food that endures to eternity. (John 6:27). Such an attitude, or way of life could be called “living life before we enter eternity.” In this place our hearts and minds prepare for the next world, even as we bodily exist in this world.

Tecumseh, a Shawnee chief said it this way: “Live your life so that the fear of death can never enter your heart. Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people. Respect all people.” Living before eternity means not storing up treasures on earth. We prepare for the moment when Christ calls us to cross the bridge from here to there. Saint Paul writes: “We need faith because with faith, death is joyful, even triumphant.”

Remember: “Gazing into the mirror of the eternal we see our sinfulness, and as we gaze upon our sinfulness, we see God and find our true selves!”