Eternal

"...This is what he promised us—eternal life" (1 John 2:25).

How long is forever?

I used to wonder about that, especially when I was a kid. I heard my pastor talk about "eternal life" and we would sing the Gloria Patri which spoke of a "world without end," and my brain simply couldn't comprehend anything like that. I know it's forever—how long is that? Or so my thoughts seemed to go.

Honestly, I still can't comprehend it. And maybe that's because we're not supposed to. We think of "eternal" life as a length of time, so when John tells us God has promised us "eternal life," we immediately think in terms of linear time going on and on and on and...well, you get the idea. (And then sometimes we begin to wonder what we will do with all that time. Maybe I can finally finish all those books I meant to read!)

The problem (as with many terms and ideas in the Bible) is that we're thinking of all of this in Western terms. But the Bible wasn't written by Westerners. In the original text, what is referred to as "eternal life" isn't so much talking about length as it is quality. The word translated as "eternal" literally means "indeterminate;" in other words, the length of time isn't the point and doesn't matter. What matters, ultimately, is that we will be in the presence of Jesus. We will be with our savior, the one who loved us enough to give his life for us.

Do you remember first being in love? Time seemed to pass far too quickly in those early days (the days before mortgages, bills, appointments and other responsibilities). You both could literally spend every day together and it was never enough. Sometimes time seemed to stand still. Sometimes it hurried too fast. Either way, those moments were and are just a glimpse of eternity. In the presence of Jesus, time will cease. In the presence of Jesus, life will be of such quality that other things won't matter. Eternity is not a matter of length but quality—it is the life we always longed for, the life we were made for.

That's the promise God makes to those who follows Jesus—a life that meets every one of your deepest needs. Don't you long for that? Who wouldn't want that kind of life? And why wouldn't you want to invite others to come along?