Setting Our Minds On Heaven

Photo Credit: acroll

I am currently reading Randy Alcorn's book, Heaven, and in the introduction Alcorn tells the following story:

"In 1952, young Florence Chadwick stepped into the waters of the Pacific Ocean off Catalina Island, determined to swim to the shore of mainland California. She'd already been the first woman to swim the English Channel both ways. The weather was foggy and chilly: she could hardly see the boats accompanying her. Still, she swam for fifteen hours. When she begged to be taken out of the water along the way, her mother, in a boat alongside, told her she was close and that she could make. Finally, physically and emotionally exhausted, she stopped swimming and was pulled out. It wasn't until she was on the boat that she discovered the shore was less than half a mile away. At a news conference the next day she said, "All I could see was the fog... I think if I could have seen the shore, I would have made it." *

Life can be difficult and, at times, seems unbearable. The everyday challenges that we encounter can cause those of us that are Christians to take our eyes of Jesus and set them on temporal pleasures with no lasting significance. But understanding that a greater eternity awaits the faithful can help us in setting our priorities and making the right decisions when temptation calls. Although we don't know how long it will be until we make it to our true home, focusing on our destination can help us in living with an eternal perspective. See through the fog and look towards eternity.

*This story was shared in a taped message by C. J. Mahaney, “Loving the Church,” Covenant Life Church, Gaithersburg, MD