Eternity in Our Hearts

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” Ecclesiastes 3:11

Sometimes we get a glimpse of eternity. You know. When you realize that you were made for something more. When you can see beyond the day-to-day. When God speaks something so incredible into your heart, and you see. You realize. You are awestruck by knowing that God is doing something! It’s like you can see past the earthly things, the mundane things, the temporal things…and you get a glimpse of the bigger picture. And it makes you think about Heaven. And what it will be like. And you are not satisfied with what used to satisfy you. The material things. The secular things. The things of this world.

If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probably explanation is that I was made for another world. {CS Lewis}

We have been studying Ecclesiastes with our cell group from our Church. God has been teaching us a lot through this study…and we are only on Chapter 3!
Trevor was asked to lead the chai time devotions this past Wednesday at the hangar. (Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, someone will lead the devotion time for everyone who works at the AIM hangar.) Trevor talked about this verse, Ecclesiastes 3:11...and he used this story of what happened to me this week as an example:

It was on Monday. I needed to go to the store and had a random collection of things going through my head as I was getting ready to go. One of those things was wondering if I would see any street kids on my walk. This is something that happens frequently and we often don’t quite know what the correct response should be when we are confronted by dirty children holding out their hands to us and begging for money. This sounds like the answer should be easy. Just give them something. But it’s not that simple when you get to know the problems with this “solution”…and as terrible as this will sound, we have also gotten so used to seeing this that it becomes “normal” and our hearts have started to become calloused. Lately though, I’ve been challenged to really, truly and seriously be God’s hands and feet to those I meet, especially these kids. We often compare them to our kids in the slum, knowing that many of our kids have had experience with this sort of lifestyle…and for us, that makes it personal. These kids need to know that someone cares, and we have felt convicted to be that someone who cares.

Back to the story. Before I left the house, I put half a loaf of bread in my purse. It felt funny to do that, but for some reason (yes, I know that it was God!!) I thought I might have use for it on my walk. I put on my sunglasses, and started on my way.

I was not so far from the store after walking about ten minutes, when I saw them. Two boys. Coming my way. Bedraggled. Grubby. Hands palm up. In my face.

“Madam, please give us something. Madam, please.” My first instinct? I wanted to continue walking. I really wanted to. Then I remembered. I remembered!! “Andrea, what is your correct response to this situation? Don’t you have bread in your purse for this exact reason??”
Oh right. Okay.

I stopped. Took off my sunglasses. Smiled at them. They stared at me.

“Jina lako ni nani?” What is your name?
“James.”
And to the other boy...”Jina lako ni nani?”
“Joel.”
They are still staring at me. Not sure what to think.

I reach my hand in my purse and take out the bread. I make eye contact with each of them, and hand over the bread. In the process, I drop an object that had fallen out of my purse. Both of them immediately said “Oh sorry!” as I bend down to pick it up. I smile at their concern.

They take the bread that I give them, look at me and say “Thank you”.

I say “Karibu”. (you’re welcome.)

They slowly leave, and so do I. We both look back at each other as we walk away. And smile.

I continue on. Go to the store. Do what I came to do. Buy what I need to buy. But all along I am thinking about two boys named James and Joel. Who are they? How old are they? Are they brothers? Why are they on the street? I buy another loaf of bread, the Supa Loaf brand. Just in case.

As I head back home, arms full with my Nakumatt bags, I see something out of the corner of my eye. I turn my head and see two boys running my way. James and Joel?? Yes, it is them. My first thought was that they were back to beg for more stuff. But no.

James caught up to me first.

“Madam, you asked us our names, but you never told us your name!!”

Seriously?? This kid came up to me to ask me my name?? Not to ask me for anything? My heart has started to melt.

“My name is Andrea!” They ask me to repeat it, so I do.

They try it out. “Andrea.”

I start to visit with them. I ask them how old they are, (they are 11, and 12), if they are brothers (they are), if they go to school (they do) and other things. We smile and laugh and talk excitedly. They ask if I remember their names, and when I say “You are James and you are Joel” they both smile and nod. I ask them if they will remember my name the next time they see me….

…And they say “You will come back? We will see you tomorrow??”

Seriously, God, what are You doing to my heart???

The look on these dirty boys’ faces, the light in their eyes, the connection my heart made with theirs was almost more than I could take. Eternity. Right here.

I was made for this. And I was made for so much more.

“He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”

We were made for more. Even though God has set eternity into our hearts, we still cannot fathom what He has done. We can’t. But we know. We KNOW that we were made for more than the things we often live for. The earthly. The temporal.

It’s when we get these glimpses of what God is doing. Of what God can do with a heart fully yielded to Him. A picture of the difference we can make. Of what life is really about. A glimpse of what He has called us to. A glimpse of eternity.

We know that we are made of different stuff than when we began.

But we also know that we were made for more.

Eternity in our hearts.