A Glimpse of Eternity
My parents just celebrated their 51st anniversary. As a gift to their children and grandchildren they took us to a local ranch where they served chuck wagons suppers served up with old-fashioned country music. At the beginning of the evening they announced the names of those who were celebrating a special occasion. A few minutes later, a man nearly ran up to the table where we were seated. He touched my dad on the shoulder and asked if he was Ted K. My dad replied, a bit tentatively, that indeed he was. Then, with a catch in his voice, the man said to my dad; “You led me to the Lord 40 years ago.” His wife stood beside him with tears running down her face as he introduced her to my dad. A few minutes later my dad met his grown children and each one of them thanked him for the impact he had had on their lives because he had introduced their dad to Jesus all those years before.
As they walked away, I said; “we just experienced a glimpse of heaven.” For in heaven, we will not only rejoice in seeing our Savior but, I believe, we will meet once again those people whose lives we impacted. There will be surprises—those whose lives we touched completely unaware; an act of kindness, an encouraging word, a verse of Scripture shared at just the right moment, a cup of cold water. Perhaps we will even see the “ripple effect” of our influence which traveled further than we could have dreamed possible.
There will be others as well—good friends and intentional relationships in whose lives we invested, into whom we poured time, effort and love. Last night, it took me awhile to fall asleep. I was rejoicing for my dad—who never knew it mattered so much to that man 40 years ago. And it filled my life again with longing to make a difference. If it was so exciting to rejoice with my dad, what will it be like to hear “well done” from Jesus and to see the impact of my life on others?
Of course, it requires that I spend my life well today so that I may rejoice in eternity. So, my friends, press on, give generously, love lavishly and invest without measure. We may not know until eternity just how much it all matters.