John 6:27 “Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you.”
The man was explaining to my husband about an out-of-body experience he had. As he described what he saw in heaven with great detail and conformity to Scripture, he clearly expected my husband to react and call him crazy. But instead, my husband listened, then asked, “Do you want to go there someday?” The man responded with silence.
It’s a question bearing tremendous implications.
Author Tim Keller writes in Hope in Times of Fear, “what we believe about the future is one of the best predictions for how we act today.” Increasing suicide rates, popular books and movie trends affirm we’re living in a culture of hopelessness. Yet, as Keller notes, “we are hope-based creatures.”
Hope-based creatures who no longer know where to find meaning.
The wisest man who ever lived said in the book of Ecclesiastes, we can’t find meaning in temporary things. Not in wisdom and knowledge; not in pleasure; and not in successful work. Neither power nor money can satisfy our search for meaning These will all pass. They simply aren’t large enough to provide us with hope and a sense of significance. Only God can do that because what he does endures forever.
Eternity, for believers, reigns as our ultimate goal. In fact, it encompasses every aspect of earthly life and infuses it with meaning. All the temporary things in life—the joys, the disappointments, the losses, the gains—have value because they are cast into the bigger picture. Our hope for today springs from our hope for the future.
If you are a follower of Christ who struggles to find hope and meaning, perhaps it’s a good time to revisit the promise of eternal life. Jesus warns us not to work for food that perishes, but for food that lasts. Maybe you need to be eating more of the good stuff and soaking yourself in the reality of eternity. Don’t let silence be your answer to Do you want to go there?