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Don’t look for it; you won’t see it.
No drum roll. No fireworks. No bright lights to illumine the way.
It comes quietly. Softly. Almost as if it sneaks in the back door with no squeaks. Stocking feet. Absolutely silent.
Somehow it begins to establish you. It defines you. Certainly it motivates you. It draws you to it like gravity but you must choose it and all that it encompasses. Until you make that choice, the thought of it may pierce your deepest thoughts with fear and dread and even chaos.
You cannot possess it; you can’t drive it away, but you can share it.
God inhabits eternity. (Is. 57:15) And eternity possesses you.
You don’t know how. You may never understand the physics of it. Or is it biology?
It’s in your heart from the moment of birth – even from conception, but you must be re-born before it gives you Life.
It never just “sits” there – idle, stagnate, dormant. It pulsates. It charges and recharges. Like a current of energy, it has a life of its own.
It’s a dimension in itself. A state of being. Even a place. A kingdom where you can live, now.
You dwell in the land. His land. You feed on His faithfulness. (Ps. 37:3) Wow! You drink from a spring of Living Water. Peace, joy, love, goodness and much more are yours for the taking or rather for the choosing.
But so is pain and suffering. It's a constant struggle. Tribulation. Daily taking up a cross. Why is it so hard?
You can’t earn it. You don’t deserve it. It’s hard because you don’t deserve it or even understand it.
It’s like an abstract painting. An artists’ rendition of life. You almost have to put yourself into the mind of the artist in order to comprehend what he wants to portray.
It’s a reward. It’s a treasure. Maybe even a prize.
Did you ever go to a carnival and be lured by the huge, adorable, stuffed animals hanging from the frame of the booth where all you had to do was shoot five little ducks and you win the prize? It’s enticing because it’s fun to win. Of course, you have to pay. Then, if you win, you get to carry the animal around the park so everyone can see that you won a prize and will want to go over to the same booth thinking they can win, too. And they will spend their money for the privilege of winning the prize. Is it a prize for their efforts or is it a prize for their money?
One dollar.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! “Three out of five. You’re doing good,” the guy encourages you. “Try again. You’ll make it.” Another dollar.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! “Two this time. You’re shooting a little to the left. Move the rifle over a bit. That’s it. You’ll make it this time.” Another dollar.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! “Four out of five. Very good. Lift it up just a hair and you’ll get it!”
And so it goes. You choose to pay the price for each try. Do you ever get it? Do you become wiser for the trying? If you want it bad enough, you’ll hang in there until you win.
So what’s the object of the game? It depends on who you are. If you are the man in the booth, all you want is the money. If you are holding the rifle – you want to win the prize – perhaps regardless of the cost. If you are one of the crowd, you want to know how to win one of those prizes.
It’s a reward. A treasure. A paradox.
You want it but you can’t earn it; the price has been paid. To choose it you have to believe in it.
The paradox?
You’re already there no matter what. It’s yours - by virtue of birthright. The choice comes in where and with whom. But you know that. It’s in your heart.
So if your heart is there, why do you live like it’s here?
Moreover, why do you live as if everyone else’s heart is already there?
“Rescue the perishing; care for the dying.”* Do you know that’s why you are still here and not there?
God inhabits eternity…
And so do you.
*Note: Hymn by Fannie Crosby
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