Longing for Eternity?

If experiences in life were wells of water, then it would be safe to say that every well has a source of pollution in it. I used to think that if I just didn’t work at Wawa, everything in my life would be in order. Well, I don’t work at Wawa anymore—and I’m exceedingly thankful for that—but—don’t be too surprised—I’ve still got problems. I’ve got an entirely new set of circumstances at which I look and say something like, “If only ______, then I would be content.”

I’ve heard a rumor that other people have this problem, too. That sometimes mothers would just wish for a night of uninterrupted sleep. Or for a clean house, or a more attentive husband. We wish for a dog and then we wish we didn’t have a dog. We wish for children. We wish for relationships. We wish for success, health, and a lifelong vacation from the pain and toil of work.

It kinda sounds like we’re longing for eternity. Discontent, in one way, serves a purpose in keeping our hearts and minds focused on eternal things. Every day when we experience the futility of life, we are reminded that life is a vapor and this world is passing away. We’re not supposed to be perfectly happy in this fallen world! It is by the discontent that we feel almost constantly that we see, as the Preacher put it, that God has put eternity in the hearts of man.

On the other hand, discontent can become a stumbling block to our joy, blocking our view of the gracious gifts that God has given us. And honestly, if God were to take away everything that we have, as He did with Job, still we could say with perfect truthfulness,

“Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
Ps. 73:25-26