Do You Have an Eternity Focus?
By Jeannette Webb
I talk to parents every day who are fatigued – mentally, emotionally, and physically. The constant daily demands are just almost too much to handle. Many ask me how to make it over the long haul. I’ll be honest in that I don’t have all the answers, only a few experiences that transcended the ordinary and taught me that there is a better way if I will just choose it. I wish I had the wisdom to embrace it more often.
A Shift in Paradigm
The way we view the world and our place in it can make a huge difference in the way we live our lives. If I look at today through my weary eyes with the goal of just making it until evening, I can mentally check out in order to survive through the remaining hours. If I just see my child as he is this moment, I can be quick to get exasperated and refuse to deal with it. If I just look at my circumstances as they are currently, it is easy to give up hope.
However, if I can embrace an eternity focus, the energy often comes to persevere.
With new eyes, I see that today is just a flicker in the timeline of eternity. My goal isn’t making it to bedtime, but running the race well for this stretch of the journey. My child, I suddenly realize, will be a child for just an instant. My efforts to discipline and disciple are grooming an adult with a soul that lasts forever. My circumstances, which seem so impossible, are actually controlled by someone who loves me more than I can imagine.
Ironically, taking a longer view can often make short-term circumstances more bearable. From some deep reservoir within comes the energy to make today count. From a source I cannot see or touch comes an overwhelming peace and joy.
Parenthood was more than any of us signed up for, but by walking through our days with integrity, trusting our God who loves us, and choosing a perspective that runs out to meet eternity, we can find new courage to transcend the exhaustion of our days.
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