Seen and Unseen

I published yesterday about my dad and his failing health. He seems to be a little stronger in terms of his physical condition, but his mental condition has worsened. It is really tough on my family who is caring for him right now. Thank you to all who wrote and commented about your prayers and concerns.

My mom told me this morning that one of the pastors from their church came to visit my dad for a few minutes yesterday. Now my dad is not always alert so it is difficult to have a conversation with him. But this pastor was trying to just encourage and demonstrate love to my dad. As the pastor got ready to leave, my dad looked at him and said, "Well, I'll see you in heaven." If you know my dad at all, you know how unusual it is for him to talk that way. He has a relationship with Christ, but it has always been very private and personal.

I was thinking of the words of the Apostle Paul this morning after talking with my mom. Paul talks about the suffering that goes on in human life. he talks about how we keep the treasures of God in "jars of clay" and how our life will never be without suffering until we are with Jesus. He says this at the end of the passage: "So we fix out eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:18

My dad is approaching the end of his life and is looking toward what is unseen. I pray that I, and you, would not wait until the end to focus on what is unseen. Focus now on what matters. Focus now on what life is really about. Focus now on the idea that this life is temporary and all the troubles we face are but a mere breath of eternity. Jesus Christ is real and what he is about is the reality of eternity.