Chasing the Eternal

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Co 4:16-18.

Yesterday morning I went out on my patio with my cup of coffee and turned on my worship music. It gets my heart postured for prayer while I’m waking up. As I sat there, the sky began to slowly light up with a purple tint in the sky. I was anticipating a gorgeous sunrise of pinks and purples, but our property is surrounded by older dense trees that block the view. Instead of focusing on prayer and studying the Word, I kept looking at the sky. I decided to forgo my time with Jesus and go for a quick walk to try to see the sunrise. By the time I got up my driveway, to the end of my road and across to the community the color had gone. I felt frustrated that what I thought I would see I didn’t, and I had missed out on what was unseen…fellowship with Jesus. The rest of day seemed out of kilter, rearranged and disengaged, all because I had fixed my eyes on a distraction.

I was considering this morning how Jesus exemplified this passage during His time on earth. If any person ever had reason to fix His eyes on the seen it would have been our Savior. Jesus showed us a better way to move through our lives of lack, unmet expectations and daily distractions. Had Jesus focused on what was seen… people trying to take His life…He could have allowed His emotions to guide His steps. Had Jesus focused on the temporary days He had left He might have become paralyzed in fear. Bottom line is that had Jesus focused on earth…the seen…He would have been distracted from His eternal home…the unseen.

So, this morning I ask you and I ask myself, ‘What are we fixing our eyes on? What things are we seeing that distract us from our focus on God?’ Is it a family argument that left us with bitterness and resentment? Is it a fear of not having enough provisions on which to live? Is it the worry for a family member or an impending diagnosis? Are we sacrificing our worship by substituting it with our worry? Every morning we are faced with decisions upon which to fix our eyes. Every situation in which we will find ourselves is temporary for nothing stays the same on earth. So as I consider this question today, I will lift a prayer that instead of chasing sunrises I will chase the One can remove my worries and distractions and join me in the fellowship of Christ.