God’s Eternity and our Mortality

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 ESV

I have been contemplating this concept lately, and please be gracious if it seems that I have planted my prose into the soil of the Reformers. In an age of microwaves, video chat, Twitter, and 24-hour news cycle, we have all but lost the value of waiting. We “lose heart” if something doesn’t happen right away. We grasp at our vast resources to try to “make it happen.”

Please do not misunderstand–I love technology. Modern medicine and the innovations that God has given are, quite literally, the reason I am still alive.

Perhaps so much “instant and available” is why it is so difficult for us to endure with patience, to hope in faith, to not lose heart. We see now. The future seems like it will never come. “Light and momentary” doesn’t feel light or momentary when it has been years, and the only expiration date will be the one on the obituary.

Which is why biblical, theocentric perspective is vital to a life of faith. God is eternal, “the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:8 and we cannot know fully God’s mind, or presume to give Him counsel Romans 11:34,35. God always makes the right decision, His work is perfect, for all His ways are justice Deuteronomy 32:4.

Those statements are humbling to embrace, especially when we are so accustomed to having what we want when we want it and how we choose to get it.

I was thinking about this while making bread today. Actually, my “making” started yesterday morning, when I started soaking wheat berries.  After 12 hours of soaking, I drained them and laid them out on a cookie sheet for about 12 hours of drying. This morning, it was time to add yeast and honey to the now-sprouted wheat berries and process them into a dough. Now it is in a warm place, raising for a couple of hours, then to be shaped and raise again before baking. Hopefully I will be smelling the sweet smell of fresh bread by tonight.

How different this is from going to the grocery and buying a loaf of bread. You can be literally in and out in about 10 minutes. If you want “fresh, home made” bread there are bread machines and rapid rise yeasts that can produce a loaf in about 2 hours. Why go to all the trouble?

There is a chance that my system will better tolerate sprouted wheat organically grown. So I am learning that waiting can be healthy. Instant is not always better.

God is eternal. His ways are beyond understanding. He is trustworthy. My times are in his hands (Psalm 31:15)