Are you feeling unsteady these days? It’s easy to feel disillusioned by everything you thought you knew when it smacks up against reality. There is so much discontent, fear, hatred, and uncertainty in our world that it takes everything we’ve got to not allow it to swallow us whole. It can be especially disconcerting for those of us who profess to trust Christ to provide everything we need, yet still have to live in a world that is coming apart at the seams.
How can we hold fast to our faith when evil seems to win victory after victory? It’s easy to lose hope when our focus is on the here and now. Instead of eyes of immediacy, we need long-distance eyes to look beyond our current circumstances and into the eternal life that waits for us.
Looking around at the world is depressing. To think otherwise is to either be in denial or to have one’s head buried in the sand. The future isn’t looking any brighter. But, if we look at things with long-distance eyes, we can see far beyond the current trajectory of humanity. We know we are aliens and strangers in this world (1 Peter 2:11), so we should never expect to be comfortable here. The fact some of us have acclimated so well speaks more to our penchant for depravity than it does to our holiness. Many in the West have become so used to an easy life that the thought of losing it terrifies us.
This world is not our home (Philippians 3:19-20), and it never was. Each of us was born under the curse and full of sin (Romans 3:23). Our only hope is salvation through Jesus so He can bring us into a new Heaven and Earth, where we will dwell with Him forever (Revelation 21:1-4). That should be our focus. That’s where we need to set our eyes. When we see the world through long-distance eyes, we can see the work we need to do now to prepare us for our eternal home to come.
Long-distance eyes show us nothing here means anything. Only what we do for Christ matters (1 Corinthians 15:58). Persecution here is temporary (2 Corinthians 4:17); the peace of Christ is eternal (John 14:27). All we accumulate or achieve on earth will burn up in the flames (2 Peter 3:10); the treasures of Heaven are everlasting (Matthew 6:19-20). We must learn to look beyond what surrounds us and forward to when we will rise above it all, once and for all.
Focusing on this world with all of its politics, perversion, and pride will tear you apart. It will damage your soul and steal your hope. We aren’t made for this, so stop trying to figure out how you fit in. You don’t! The only way to experience life to its fullest (John 10:10) is to surrender it all to Jesus (Luke 9:23-24). Lift your eyes to the heavens and see the salvation of your King (Psalm 121:1-2). Don’t waste your time staring at the ground beneath your feet when you should be looking for His return (Titus 2:11-13; Matthew 25:1-13). He is coming back for those who love Him. He will take away your pain and show you what it means to be truly loved, forgiven, and forever secure (Revelation 21:4).