Life Is Short, Eternity Is Long...

 ...so don't get too focused on your circumstances. 

God began to teach me that lesson as I was steeped in Greek vocabulary & grammar, translating the book of James in seminary.  I remember standing in a small classroom preaching a sermon to my peers based on that text from James 5.  James is admonishing the wealthy & warning them not to put their hope in their riches & good life...and then immediately turns to the suffering believers to encourage them to hold on & not become to discouraged by their circumstances. 

As I have transitioned back and forth between a developing country and the US many times over the past few years, this passage has been etched deeper into my heart.  I have wanted to shout in the middle of a shopping mall in the US during Christmas time "Don't you get it?  Life is about more than this!  Don't let your good life make you numb to things that really matter for the rest of eternity."

And as I walk alongside people here in Swaziland, I find myself saying "Remember, this life will pass faster than the blink of an eye in the midst of all eternity.  So hold on during this tough time & trust God because He is still worthy of our praise & adoration, even as you endure these difficult circumstances.  What seems like long suffering is really going to pale in comparison to the length of eternity, so persevere."

The reminder that life is short & eternity is long is constantly before me as I walk through life & ministry here.  It took less than a week of being back on the ground in Swaziland before I was sitting with a young mother mourning the loss of her teenage daughter to HIV/AIDS & Tuberculosis.  She shared with me how diligent her daughter was to do things that needed to be done around the homestead & at school.  We talked about the many high school students that would be at the funeral that night, and how we prayed that this unnecessary death would be a wake up call to them to make different choices & to not waste the life they have been given.

As I sit tonight in the comfort of my home, with a full stomach & a bed to sleep on, I must remember to keep my eyes on the Lord and not my circumstances...because life is short & eternity is long.  And as I walk alongside my suffering friends this week, God has given me the encouragement to pass on to them to endure & hold on in these hard times...because life is short & eternity is long.