This Is the Way...
The Godly Gift of "Forever Eyes"
by Robin Webber
At one time or another, we have all seen the bumper sticker wisdom, "Don't
sweat the small stuff." It is certainly good advice. But the truth is
we all sweat over all sorts of small stuff. Beyond the "small-fry"
matters of life, there truly are weighty issues in our personal existence
that, humanly, can be all-consuming. Personal issues such as a threatening
disease, the loss of a loved one, a child who won't respond to our love,
the loss of a cherished job, a business deal that's gone south, a marriage
gone sour and, yes, for some of us, a God who seems far away.
Just for a moment, let's peel away the bumper sticker wisdom and go
a couple of layers deeper to a basic reality check on our personal condition.
Regarding any current problem, we might ask ourselves, "What difference
will it make 24 hours from now?" Just think a moment. Is it truly worth
the energy load that you have assigned to it and the heart distraction from
those other matters that are truly worthy of our life's devotion? The
truth is that some issues that confront us must be stacked up against nothing
less than eternity.
Moving beyond the "urgency of now"
Fundamentally, this last thought means moving beyond the "urgency of
now" to implement a long-range perspective. It's a different way
of viewing things called, "living with forever eyes." It's
a phrase and a concept expounded by Mary Whelchel in her book, Looking
With Forever Eyes, published by Servant Publications. Its subtitle, "How
to Live in the Light of Eternity," tells how she thinks God would have
us travel through life.
But why bring this up in a publication like World News and Prophecy?
Because, if we are "sweating the small stuff" now, if we are gasping
for psychological air, if we are overwhelmed spiritually by some of the weightier
matters of ordinary life—then we need to be reminded that biblical prophecy
clearly indicates "there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was
since there was a nation, even to that time" (Daniel 12:1).
