"Bend they soul to study eternity, busy thyself about the life to come, habituate thyself to such contemplations, and let not those thoughts be seldom and cursory, but bathe thy soul in heaven's delights." Richard Baxter (1615-1691)
There are so many earthly distractions that demand our attention and rob us of our focus. The noise is loud, the needs endless. The pace is hurried and the mood rather selfish. Faces gripped in fear, hearts weighted in guilt, hope so far removed that there is no hint of its shadow.
I have realized that our goal is not merely to help others recover from the pains of this life or for us to survive them, but it is to focus on the blessings of the life to come. Our purpose is to realize daily perhaps even hourly, that there is a bigger picture and then live as if we are part of it.
And so I turn…I turn to seek His face. I bend my soul to the study of eternity. As always, He remains on His throne and in control. In spite of my world, my worries and my woes His position has not changed. There is no noise. The needs? Already met. The pace is restful, the mood is peace. I trade my agony in for joy and my heart is liberated in freedom. Hope is so near that I could feel its blanket upon me.
So I rest my weary battle worn heart at His feet. I bathe my soul in the delights of heaven and I busy my mind with the life to come. It is then that I am once again reminded that I was not created solely for this life but for an eternal one. I am changed in the light of such grace and I grow increasingly more thankful that He became a part of this world so that I could become a part of His.