Living in the “in between”
This past Sunday, our pastor (Josh Skjoldal, Evangel Church) preached a message on the last phrase of the Apostle’s Creed, “…and the life everlasting”. It was a great message and got me thinking about eternity, our resurrected life with God, and our role right now as Christians.
The concept of eternity is difficult for us to grasp as humans, since we think in linear time. In fact, I recall reading somewhere that doctors claim individuals can’t fully grasp even linear time until age 25. I’m definitely not 25 and still have the common experience of time “speeding up” or “slowing down,” as I’m sure you do, so I’m not sure we entirely get it either. If we can’t seem to even have a complete sense of linear time, how can we possibly understand eternity?
The most vivid and helpful explanation for me came from something I read years ago. I don’t remember the author (C.S. Lewis?), but it described our physical life right now as a ruler, which makes sense to all of us thinking in linear time. However, it then asked you to imagine that the ruler was sitting in a puddle of water, which surrounded the whole thing. That puddle touched all stages of our linear life simultaneously and extended forward and backwards beyond the linear part represented by the ruler. In fact, if the puddle was to become a lake or ocean, it would touch all of our life in an almost infinite way.
While the metaphor has its limitations, as do all metaphors, we might be able to think of ourselves as having existed before time “in the puddle,” then becoming part of this linear timeframe (the ruler), and eventually passing onto glory as we become part of the puddle extending beyond the ruler once again.
OK, enough of this philosophical musing – what do I mean by the “in between”? I am referring to your and my lives here, right now, as living human beings on earth. We are in between what we were before birth and what we will be after death, but does it really matter? Think about Ecclesiastes if you want a rather depressing take on this.
I believe that our goal as Christians in this life is to become more Christ-like and thereby glorify God to the greatest extent we can in all we do. For some of us, this takes the shape of raising our children in the faith or preaching the Gospel. For others, it means doing our accounting the best we can or perhaps raising crops or cattle according to God’s calling on our life. For me, it means working in the policy world to glorify God by trying to ensure that our society is grounded in biblical values. All of these matter because He who created us did so for an express purpose – to glorify Him.
Eternity is a tough concept, and I have to admit that if I turned in the above thoughts as a college paper, I’d be lucky to get a B grade. However, let me leave you with this. Notice that even when bound within the linear time constraints of the ruler, we are still living as part of eternity, surrounded by the puddle. So, we are both in the “in between” and in the infinite. It matters. We have been, are right now, and will in the future be eternal beings, not unlike our Creator. Let’s make the most of it as we dwell in the “in between.”
No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
Till He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand
In Christ Alone” by Keith Getty/Stuart Townend