Small Red Part

"So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:31-34

In the classic Christian hymn, Amazing Grace, the last stanza of the hymn goes like this: "When we’ve been there ten thousand years, Bright shining as the sun, We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise Than when we’d first begun." I have always been captivated by the image given when hearing the part that says, "When we've been there ten thousand years..." Ten thousand years? This is inconceivable for the human mind to comprehend. It reminds me of Paul in 1 Corinthians when he said, "What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”— the things God has prepared for those who love him ...(1 Corinthians 2:9)." Most of us are lucky if we get to our 80's much less 10,000 years of age. The oldest people in the Bible didn't make it to 1,000 years old and that is another age difficult to imagine attaining. Yet, as humans, we spend nearly every waking hour focused on how to get the most out of the life we have here and give little thought to eternity, much less 10,000 years into it. Christian pastor Francis Chan gave an eye-opening teaching example regarding eternity by using a simple rope. He brings the rope out on stage and unfolds it. The rope is probably 20 feet long. On the end of the rope he is holding, he has painted about a palm's width of the rope red. Chan says, "Imagine this rope goes on forever and imagine that this rope is a timeline of your existence. You see this red part? This would represent your time on earth.” He continues, "And what blows me away is that for some of you, all you're consumed with thinking about is this small red part.” He is correct. Most people are only consumed with our "small red part;" our physical existence on this earth from the moment we are born until the day we die. How many people do you know whose sole focus is on how they live their life before death?  Concerns about what job to take, who to marry, when to divorce, how much is needed for retirement, their physical health, what vacation to take, what to add to their bucket list, politics, protecting the environment, protecting animals, sports, Hollywood, etc. The list is endless. But, let me ask you one question: Ten thousand years from now, will any of those things (or whatever you add to the list) matter? Do not get me wrong, I understand we all have to live our lives and take care of the issues of life. Plus, God gave us this planet to enjoy and these bodies to live in. However, both are only temporary. One day our bodies will give out and we will, "return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return (Genesis 3:19).” And one day, "The heavens will pass away with a loud noise. The sun and moon and stars will burn up. The earth and all that is in it will be burned up (2 Peter 3:10)." So, again, I ask you; ten thousand years from now, will anything you are focused on now matter?

Jesus told us not to worry about what we will eat, drink or wear. It is probably safe to say we shouldn't worry about where we live, who we marry and all the other things in life. At least not to the point that we are so consumed with them that we neglect eternity. The apostle Paul talked on several occasions about being content. In fact, in one of the most popular passages in the Bible, Philippians 4, Paul said, "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength (Philippians 4:12-13)." Most Christians will focus on verse 13 and being able to "do all this" through Christ. While that is a great promise, what goes unmentioned is verse 12 where Paul says he has "learned the secret of being content." Regardless of his circumstances, he was at peace. It is being at peace, specifically with God, that is the foundation of being content. When you are content, you will display the fruits of the Spirit; specifically, self-control. When you are not consumed by trying to squeeze the most out of this life, you will bear the fruit of self-control because you are not looking for the next thing to do, have or experience. The peace Paul experienced, in my opinion, originated from knowing his identity in Christ. Paul knew that God was meeting the deepest desires of his heart for unconditional love, total acceptance, meaning, and purpose. He knew He was a forgiven, child of God, with the presence of the Holy Spirit indwelling Him. This meant he was not looking at the world for what he could get from it, but rather, he looked at the world for what he could give to it; the love of God through the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Once Paul found the Lord, his whole life changed to a life of doing all He could to proclaim Jesus to the world. Paul was martyred at roughly 60 years of age in the first century. But, Paul is with the Lord right now. He hasn't been there 10,000 years, but he has been there for over 1,900 years. That's a lot more than the 60 years he spent here on earth. The lesson to take from his life and many of the writers of the Bible is that our focus should be on eternity. Life is too short to be worried only about the handful of years we spend on this side of the "dust." Eternity is a long time and we could be thrust into it at any moment without warning. My prayer is that regardless of the circumstances of your life, you pause and take inventory of your spiritual condition. Are you living a life apart from faith in Jesus Christ distracted by all the cares of this world? Are you a Christian who is looking to God solely for what He can give you in this life? It is time to take inventory of your life and get your eyes off yourself and the cares of this world and place them squarely on Jesus Christ. The peace of God and the contentment which comes from it are available to you. Ten thousand years from now, you may regret not taking that step of faith today because you were focused on one "small red part" of your life.