This Blip Called Life

Not too long ago our minister provided our congregation with an illustration.  He produced a long rope on stage which represented eternity and at the beginning of the rope was a very small section painted red.  The red part represented our lifespan.

 
Our lives, in truth, are just a blip in the scheme of things.  Once our earthly lives are over we begin to travel along the span of time called eternity.  And the farther through eternity we travel the section that was our earthly life appears to get smaller and smaller - eventually disappearing from our sight and memory.

Does that sound depressing?  I hope not.  But I do think it gives us a different perspective on the things we place our importance on.  Halfway through eternity are you even going to care about your car, house, or all those other things you possessed (or wanted to possess)?  What about the trials we go through?  Sometimes our trials last for weeks or even years.  They seem like they'll never end.  But one day they will be a far distant memory. We spend an awful lot of time worrying about things that essentially last less time than it takes to blink.

I think the most important revelation of this illustration for me is thinking about how I live this blip called life.  It's so easy to get caught up living this life for me - thinking the prize is my pleasure.  But the prize is eternity with God.  And it last a whole lot longer than any pleasure I can have in this earthly life.  I have a very short time in order to make a difference in this crazy world.  I want to make that little bit of time count. I want my life to be a light for God and not for myself.

My take-away is this:  We are given two lives.  One on earth and one in eternity.  Focus on the one where you'll be spending the most amount of time.  Make decisions with that mindset and the blessings of God will be upon you.