Eternity into Our Hearts

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

I remember when my father suddenly died of a heart attack when I was 19, I had an immediate question . . .

“So what now?” There has to be more to life? It can’t just be ‘that’s it, you’re done’? There has to be purpose to why my dad existed and why he was gone from this earth in literally a heart beat.

Which led me to believe someone else is in charge of our time on earth. Life isn’t just “create your destiny”, “think positively and your dreams would come true”. I knew moments after this tragedy that something or someone bigger than me existed and controlled the number of days, breaths, and heart beats we have on this earth.

That was the beginning of me understanding eternity. That was the beginning of me learning that God puts eternity into man’s heart-meaning God reveals in us that we will exist long after our days on this earth. We ARE eternal beings, what happens on this earth matters, we do NOT cease to exist after our last breath.

Accepting this reality, that we are eternal beings, was the first step. You see Solomon goes on to say “yet he cannot find out what God has done from beginning to end”. My commentary reads: The Preacher thus realizes that both his desire to understand all of life, as well as the limitations on his ability to do so, have been ordained by God.

I know to live with any integrity at all, I had to confess that sense of “something bigger than me” was God. And after confessing it, pursue it. But you see Solomon’s words are true, my understanding was limited. This is where we get stuck. We may sense there is a God, but because we can’t fully understand Him (or really because we don’t agree with things he’s allowed or done), we reason Him away. Romans 1 calls it “supressing the truth”.

We can’t stand the thought of swallowing our pride and admitting something bigger, something beyond my understanding, is in control. So we accept things much smaller because they make sense to us. We exchange the truth for a lie (Romans 1:25), something more convenient, something more comfortable, something we can wrap our minds around.

Friends, can I encourage you seek out the Truth about who God is? And when you don’t understand, rather than throw it all away in disbelief, humble yourself and worship a God whose “thoughts are not our thoughts, and whose ways are higher than our ways” (Isaiah 55:8-9).

You have heard me say “I lost and earthly father, and gained a Heavenly Father”. The LORD opened my eyes through this tragedy and beckoned me to “Come, follow Him.” However, I know many who have been through similar things and ran the other way, doubting that a good God would allow bad things, so He must not exist.

When in reality, God makes everything beautiful in its time. He uses all things for good, for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).

So rather than throw your fist up at God, harden your heart, and run the other way because you don’t understand . . . would you pursue what you know in your heart already? He was, He is, He will be forever and is waiting for you to accept the invitation to spend eternity with Him.