Sharp Focus

For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God. (Hebrews 13:14-16 ESV). Many years ago, long before digital cameras and autofocus, I had a simple SLR 35mm camera. Some of you will know what that means. They were the best cameras of the day, but they were completely self-adjusted. Exposure, shutter speed, focus, everything had to be adjust before you every snapped a picture. Then, since I did not have the ability or equipment to develop my own film, I had to wait a week or two just to see if I had captured the photo. That must seem awfully trifling in view of the abilities we have now with our phones, much less cameras! But, it was a concern in those days. I suppose if I were a professional, I wouldn’t have been so surprised when I actually got a good photo! I always wanted everything to be in sharp focus. Think back on the best moments of your life so far, those times with your loved ones or that gorgeous sunset or that precious thing your child said to you. Don’t you want to perfectly record them to be accessed later? Our life on earth is something like that. C. S. Lewis described earth as "the shadowlands." You see, we tend to think of heaven as something surreal, while earth is real. But heaven isn't a lame version of earth. Earth, the best moments of it, at least, is an incomplete version of heaven. Earth is like a copy of heaven, not the other way around. Our problem is that we start with earth and reason up toward heaven when we ought to instead start with heaven and reason down toward earth. This little span of time on earth is what the Bible describes as a "vapor" or "a morning fog" (cf. James 4:14) or a story that already has been told. Life isn't just a date of birth to a date of death. Life goes on. God's plans toward you are good, and the ultimate plan is heaven. When you get there, everything will come into focus for you. When you get to the other side, you will see things clearly. Everything will be in sharp focus. God knows where you are at this very moment, and God has a future for you. And it is going to be beyond your wildest dreams. After all, he is a “professional.” He never makes a mistake in any part of our lives. Trust him even when it looks like a very bad picture. He will finish the work with a flourish that will be incredibly beautiful.