”I have seen the burden God has laid on men. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” Ecclesiastes 3:10 – 11

God’s creation is incredible. Every molecule serves a purpose in His world; nothing gets wasted. And when He created each one of us, it must have been a very special moment! Picture it, when someone creates something, they will spend all their time and effort in putting as much attention and love into their creation. Artists pride themselves in their art, because during the process of creation, they are able to reflect their skills and talents – as well as themselves; their thoughts, feelings and opinions. So we, as God’s created ones, reflect God’s power and who He is (at least, that was the case before the fall). Not only that, but Psalm 139:13 says that God “created my inmost being; [He] knit me together in my mother’s womb”, “for He knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are dust.” (Psalm 103:14). WE ARE ONLY DUST, and yet God remembers us and loves us, and has compassion on us (Psalm 103:13), and has placed eternity in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

To have felt the Father’s touch in the instance we were created, and for that touch to have been removed because there is a separation between man and God called sin has left us longing to return to our Creator, to be admired and loved by Him because we reflect His perfection and His glory. There is a hole in our hearts, a yearning that we cannot understand. And though I’m not sure that that yearning will ever completely disappear during our walk on this planet, we have come to understand it better through Jesus, and have learnt to overcome it (1 John 5:4).

Recently I listened to a sermon by Hans Peter Royer (here), a Swiss evangelical preacher who has been a spiritual inspiration ever since I was a teenager. The talk was on living a fulfilled life, and he made an interesting point. If Jesus had just come to forgive us our sins, He would have done that by dying on the cross, nothing more. If Jesus wanted us to join Him in heaven, He would have lifted us up from His throne. But He didn’t just want that – and this is the most beautiful thing you may ever encounter – Jesus, God, wants to join us in life. He doesn’t just want to live WITH us, but the Bible teaches that we can have Christ IN us, if we accept it (Ephesians 4:15; 2 Corinthians 1:21; Romans 8:10). Because if we live our lives with Christ in us, then we become like Christ, like God, reflecting His glory and power, just as we were in the very beginning, just as God designed us.

If we have Christ in us, it doesn’t matter what happens. Our dreams may not come true, and tragedy may strike. Our hearts may be broken and sorrow may befall us, but God will NEVER let those go who turn to Him and live according to His will – who are therefore righteous and walk in God’s favour (Psalm 34:17 – 18).

What does this mean? It means that those who turn to God in ALL circumstances, choosing His will over their own pleasure, they will find relief from all earthly pain and fears – not necessarily today or tomorrow, or at any point in this life. Paul considered “our present sufferings (…) not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18). That glory is being right with God, living in His holy presence, and not falling to the unwanted desires of the flesh – forever!

So, what are you waiting for? What can be better than eternity with the God who created us? His intention was that we glorify Him in such a pure way that it would come naturally to us – that it would be our desire and our comfort to. Imagine eternity, glorifying God in perfect harmony, experiencing His love in such a way that we were never able to on earth before!

Too often, we lose perspective. We forget what we were fighting for. We forget that to God, a lifetime is nothing. So live your life. Enjoy it, experience it. But remember that it won’t last forever. What is a moment’s hurt when we consider the goal we are aiming for. There is an eternal life waiting for us – for which it is more than worth it to wait for, in perfect submission to God and in patience, knowing that His promises will be fulfilled.