“Lord, stamp eternity on my eyeballs! Where will all of our worldly enjoyments be, when we are laid in the silent grave? Resolved, to live as I shall wish I had done, when I come to die. Resolved, to live as I shall wish I had done, ten thousand ages hence. Lord, stamp eternity on my eyeballs!”
The above quote was said by Jonathan Edwards, a powerful preacher who played a central role in “The Great Awakening,” a religious revival that swept through the American colonies throughout the 1730s-1740s. Brother Edwards understood that when we live with eternity on our minds we are more inclined to remember and embrace the Gospel every day.
As a child I saw this lifestyle being lived out daily by my parents. My father heard a missionary speaker at Jr. High Camp and decided then to dedicate his life to being a missionary. He met my mother seven years later and led her to Christ. Neither had grown up in Christian families, yet by their late 20s they packed up their four children (including a three-month-old baby) and headed to Asia. I watched them struggle through culture shock, loneliness, illness, guerilla wars and unrest. Through it all, they remained steadfast, planted 20+ churches and raised up leaders for the next generation. I saw them love Jesus and others on a daily basis.
I became a Christian at the age of nine and they discipled me more intently. I remember whenever I had a question about the big things in life their first response was always, “Let’s see what the Bible says about that.” My faith blossomed when, at the age of 17, God performed a miracle for me. I oversaw our school’s Senior Banquet (think Prom) and was getting ready when the whole town plummeted into a blackout. As I sat there applying my makeup by candlelight and melting due to the heat and humidity, I prayed the vainest prayer ever, “Lord, I know you are all powerful and loving and have way better requests to answer, but you also said we can ask anything of you. Not sure this is according to your will, but will you please turn the power back on so I can get ready? If the answer is no, I still love you and will serve you forever.” I opened my squinted shut eyes and saw the lights flicker on and the fan started. My mom and brother rushed into my room and told me to look outside. Our home was the only home in the neighborhood with power. With tears of amazement and awe I finished getting ready and the power stayed on until I got into the car to leave. Wow! God is good.
At the age of 18, I moved back to the USA for college. I had been accepted into Cal State Long Beach to become a physical therapist, but felt the Holy Spirit tell me to go to Bible college for a year to acclimate myself to America. It was there that I saw that fear kept a lot of wonderful Christians from pursuing a life of missions overseas. With eternity on my mind, I remember praying, “Lord, I’m nervous to go on the field as a single woman. You know the desire of my heart is to be married, but I’m going to seek you first and trust you that you know what’s best for me.” I then changed my degree to Missions. Not too long after that I started dating my future husband and together we have served as global servants until now.
My husband is an only child and after one furlough we realized that his widowed mother had dementia. We were at a crossroads. Do we get a job and remain in the USA to care for her, or do we take her back to Asia with us? All our friends and family counseled us to remain in the USA, but we did not feel any peace. We sought advice from many professionals who told us it was a bad idea to take his mom to Asia. But then a Christian doctor looked us in our eyes and said, “But as a Christian isn’t this what following and trusting God is about? To take the huge steps of faith?” It felt like God was leading us to a cliff and telling us to jump off and trust Him. It was scary, but the only option that gave us peace. So, we jumped, and God provided and showed up. Having his mom with us on the field opened many doors for us to share the Gospel and gave us favor with those we served.
2 Corinthians 5:7-10 discloses that, “Ultimately it does not matter whether we are here or gone; our purpose stays fixed, and that is to please Him. The path we walk is charted by faith, not by what we see with our eyes. There is no doubt that we live with a daring passion, but in the end, we prefer to be gone from this body so that we can be at home with the Lord. In time we will all stand in judgment before the throne of the Anointed, the Liberating King, to receive what is just for our conduct (whether it be good or bad) while we live in this temporary body.” (The Voice Translation)
I have tried living with eternity on my eyeballs — making the most of each day, looking for opportunities to serve others and to be a witness for God. I can’t wait until I get to sit on God’s lap in Heaven (home) remembering doing life with Him. For now, He challenges me to live each day pleasing Him. I pray as you live with your “daring passion” you too will live to please Him. My father and mother have been welcomed by Him in Heaven and have heard, “Well done thy good and faithful servant.” I can’t wait until it’s my turn!
“For we live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” (1 Corinthians 5:7-10, NIV)
“We know these things are true by believing, not by seeing. And we are not afraid but are quite content to die, for then we will be at home with the Lord. So our aim is to please him always in everything we do, whether we are here in this body or away from this body and with him in Heaven. For we must all stand before Christ to be judged and have our lives laid bare — before him. Each of us will receive whatever he deserves for the good or bad things he has done in his earthly body.” (1 Corinthians 5:7-10, TLB)
How does cultivating an eternal perspective on everything we see, ignite and fuel our faith-walk?
Write out a prayer asking God to reveal His eternal perspective on your biggest problems and challenges.