Thursday, May 05, 2011

Glorying in the Unseen



I don't feel much like a soul right now.

Let me explain:

I eat. I sleep. I write papers.

And I've noticed in all of this, I have begun to lose real contact with the people in my life. Sure, we talk all the time, but our conversations have gotten surface-level. We talk about eating, sleeping, and papers.

Ever been there?

Attempting to dig out of this rut, this morning a friend and I sat down to share a Bible study together. We read 2 Corinthians 4 where it says "the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal." Also noted is that rough experiences here on earth are only a "momentary affliction" which is preparing us "an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison."

I don't necessarily consider papers, or busyness in general a "momentary affliction." But the weight of the world can indeed press upon our souls, making us forget that we have them; we can easily forget the eternal weight of glory in the midst of running to the store, meeting with so-and-so, and getting assignments in on time.

C.S. Lewis talked on this in his sermon, "The Weight of Glory." He said, "You and I have need of the strongest spell that can be found to wake us from the evil enchantment of worldliness."

Worldliness isn't flashing neon lights, gambling in Las Vegas and living like you're Bruce Wayne. At least, that's not the kind of worldliness that tends to capture me. It's the sneakier stuff--the good and perfectly justified stuff--like school, chores, and the simple "what'sgoingon" that tends to snag most.

In days such as these, I find the 2 Corinthians reminder a source of awakening: "...the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal." May we be given eyes that look to the unseen.