He [God] has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the scope of God’s work from beginning to end. Ecclesiastes 3:11b (NLT)
Before I came to know Jesus as my Lord, I knew of him. I would have even called myself a Christian, as I was raised in the church. Once I had my “confirmation ceremony” however, I never returned to church except for an occasional Christmas or Easter program, so as to make my parents happy.
At 19 I left home to begin my life in “the world” – never once giving thought to living a Christian life. Drinking, drugs, sexual escapades, partying and having a good old time – that was my world.
At the age of 24 “maturity” began to set in a bit, thoughts of settling down and having a family seemed to be the right thing to do. So it began. The spouse, the house, the child, the business, the vacation home, the nice car and some money in the bank – who could ask for more, right?
But why was I so miserable?
I began to long for more, something deeper inside. I would wonder . . . “isn’t there more to life than this?”
Soon came heartache, sorrow, bitterness , anger, loneliness, cheating and divorce. Why had my so-called perfect world turned upside down?
That longing of my heart continued. One desperate night I cried out to God, “if you are real, I need you! Help me God!” And He did – immediately! My life has never been the same since. As I now know, God had planted eternity in my heart – and I had found Him.
In John 12:25 Jesus teaches us:
Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity.
I had everything anyone could want in this world, but I was so unhappy. But when I was willing to let go of my way and turn my life over to Jesus as my Lord and Savior – oh, the peace, the joy and the contentment I experienced as He filled me with His Holy Spirit! An experience that can only be described as a true miracle.
God’s will is that you yield your heart to His will rather than your will. He will give you more than the world will ever give!
I strive to trust in God with all my heart, yielding to His will rather than my own. Have I been perfect? Far from it. But praise God that His mercies are new every morning! Has my life been free of troubles? No, but when I do have troubles or trials, I have the comforter who is always there to help me and guide me. In every situation of my life I strive to fix my eyes on Jesus and on eternity, rather than focus on the worldly things.
Jesus tells us in John 16:33b:
Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
God has the perfect plan for your life and He truly wants to bless you – He loves you. But your heart must be on eternity. You have to trust God’s plan for your life, even though you may not always see the whole scope of His work.
I can assure you there is more than this world has to offer. Follow that yearning, for God has planted eternity in your heart.
From eternity to eternity I am God. Isaiah 43:13