The Eternal Lens: Focusing on What Truly Matters

Cover image by: Lavender Sheshe

In case you didn't know, I picked up reading as a hobby this year. It's going quite well. I am on my 8th book of the year. I am beyond excited about grasping all of the information. One of the quotes that captured my attention recently is "If it's not going to matter in five years, don't spend more than five minutes being upset by it" ~ Regina Brett.

I was going through a few things recently which I have been talking my friends ears off about. Then, I realized that they won't even matter in a year let alone five. This quote made me think beyond five years. For some reason, the song "if you died tonight" by Daddy Weave came to mind. The verse that kept echoing on my mind is "If you died tonight, where would you be Where would your soul spend eternity".

Matthew 6:19-21 Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

As a christian, my question to you is are you focusing on the things that matter? Are you focusing on things that will matter for eternity? I asked myself these questions and there are a lot of areas of my life that I felt like needed some work. I spent quite a few hours worrying about the wrong thing. The more I thought about it, the more grateful I am to be serving in ministry to make an eternal impact. As a christian, you don't have to be in full time ministry to have an eternal impact. You can pray for God to give you the opportunity to minister to people at work or even at the grocery store. As a manager, I can't bring faith up until my team opens that door. I remember praying for God to give me an opportunity to minister to them. God did open that door not only for my team, but even for some of our clients. The opportunities are often in front of us, but it is hard to see things we are not looking for. In one of the books I was reading, it said that when you are shopping for cars, you start seeing cars on the road. I experienced it that when I was buying my car. I never noticed so many cars on the road. The cars were always there, but I was not looking for a car, so my mind did not focus on that. What are you focusing on? What are you seeing? Are you seeing more things that are going wrong or opportunities to be the hands and feet of Jesus?

1 Peter 4:10-11 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

There are going be time when you don't have the opportunity to share your faith for whatever reason. One thing I've learned is to live like Christ even when you can't speak about your faith. I experience this with a colleague a while back. We work in different department, but we would cross path often. Every time she comes by, I would offer her tea and coffee. Since she was new, I offered to take her to lunch to show her around. We never made it to lunch on campus because our schedules never aligned, but I kept on saying hello any chance I got. She had a project to work on, I gave her a heads up on how my boss like things presented to him. We finally made it to diner months later. We had an opportunity to talked about our life. She said "something is so different about you". I said thank you "it's the Holy Spirit". That was the opportunity I got to share my faith with her. We started talking about God and we ended up forming a friendship outside of work. Be the light and salt of the world wherever you go! People are watching. Yes, even non-believers.

Matthew 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

I don't know about you, but I am a lot like Martha. I feel like this portion of this article might need its own article. It is so easy for me to focus on doing than to be seating at the feet of Jesus. God has to constantly draw me back to him. None of the things I mentioned above really matter if we are not spending time with God. God is the way, the truth, and the life. We need to stay connected to him in order to be a well functioning Christian. If you don't have time to read the bible and pray, you are too busy. Anything that is getting in the way of time spent with God is too expensive. No matter what that "thing" is. Living in this world, we cannot afford to not make time for God.

Luke 10:41-42 Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.

I pray this reflection serves as a gentle reminder to evaluate our priorities and ensure we're focusing on what truly matters in the grand scheme of eternity. As we navigate life's complexities, let's strive to keep our hearts aligned with God's purposes. And if you're seeking a tangible reminder of this eternal perspective, consider exploring our exclusive shirt collection designed to inspire faith-driven living. Click here to discover more and embrace the truth that eternity far outweighs the temporary.

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Xoxo,

DD