Desire a Better Country
Last week, I shared four consequences of living with eternity amnesia—that is, functionally forgetting the Forever life that is to come and telling ourselves that this life on earth is all there is to life. Those consequences are:
- Living with unrealistic expectations
- Asking too much of people
- Questioning the goodness of God
- Living more disappointed than thankful
I’m sure there are more than seven in total, but here are three more:
5. Focusing too much on self.
Expecting the world and other people to serve our desires and bring us pleasure is more than just the result of eternity amnesia; it’s a general consequence of the selfishness of sin. Eternity amnesia presents a more specific element.
God hardwired human beings to live big-picture, long-view, Forever lives. We were made to live with something bigger in view than this present moment’s comfort, pleasure, and happiness.
Eternity confronts us with the fact that we are not in charge, that we do not live in the center of the universe, and that life moves by the will and purpose of Another. The instantaneous, self-serving “me-obsession” of our culture never leads to inner peace and contentment. Eternity confronts me with the realities that transcend my momentary wants, feelings, and needs.
6. Being controlling or fearful.
When eternity confronts us with the reality that we are not in charge and reminds us that life moves by the will and purpose of Another, rather than resting in the security and comfort of Forever, we tend to swing between fear and control.
Why? Because in our eternity amnesia, we feel as if somehow, someway, life is passing us by, and we don’t get a say. We forget that true, everlasting life is yet to come, and that this life is not meant to be ultimate.
Those unfilled longings, which none of us escapes, do not so much announce to us that this world has failed us, but rather alert us to the fact that we were designed for another world. Peace in this world is found only when we live with the coming world in view.
7. Lacking motivation and hope.
All of these consequences have the power to weaken our motivation and hope. Life on earth is hard, people will disappoint, God’s hidden will will remain hidden, and you will face things you never imagined you would face. But this world is not all there is.
You are not living in the final chapter of the story. What is broken will be fixed, what has been bent will be straightened, and what has decayed will be restored. The fact that this world is not an endless cycle of dashed hopes and fading dreams, but by God’s plan is marching toward a moment when all that is broken will be restored, can fill you with a reason to get up in the morning and press on.
Living with a Forever perspective every day really does give you a reason to continue every day, even when nothing right now seems to be working. Forever challenges my feelings of futility by reminding me that what I am experiencing right now is not permanent.
Life, real life as it was designed to be, simply cannot work without Forever. You were made for Forever. That is your inescapable identity. Life only works as it was meant to work when you live with Forever in view.
“These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.” (Hebrews 11:13-16)
A Prayer for Today: God, I desire a better country than the one I live in on this earth. My soul is seeking my true homeland, and I need you to help me live in light of my Forever home. It’s so tempting to focus too much on myself, to struggle with fear and control, and to lack motivation and hope. Please help me to remember my true heavenly home when I find it so easy to get frustrated and weighed down with the current difficult situations I find myself in. I need you to help me more clearly see the reality of my future Forever. Help me to live today with that kind of sight. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.
Conversation Prompts for Children
1. What do you think it means to be “self-focused”? How do you think someone behaves if they are self-focused? In what ways do you struggle with being too self-focused?
2. Why do you think it’s important for us to focus on our heavenly home when things of this world disappoint and frustrate us? Why is it so easy to be fearful right now when we forget about our future in heaven?
3. What is “identity”? What is our identity as followers of Jesus? In what ways does understanding our identity help us know how to live each day with hope and motivation?
Reflection Questions
1. How has focusing on yourself, your desires, your feelings, and your needs led you to a lack of contentment and a lack of peace? What events, circumstances, or people have helped you to realize that you are not in charge of this world? How might focusing on God’s love and control provide you with peace and contentment?
2. In what ways have fear and control powerfully impacted you and your life? How have you been searching for peace in this world, expecting it to be the ultimate world you long for?
3. If you’re honest with yourself, what fills you with a reason to get up in the morning and press on with the difficulties of life? In what ways can it be helpful for you to remember that what you’re experiencing right now isn’t permanent?
4. As you live proactively with Forever in view, how might God meet you in ways that bring encouragement and peace to your life? How are you currently trying to make life work without Forever in view? Why and in what ways is Forever your inescapable identity?