I saw a picture yesterday, beautiful landscape a glow with the setting sun. It read - “The world is not my home, I’m just passing through.”
It’s not a new thought.
Anne Bradstreet wrote of the struggle of appreciating the beauty of the earth vs. the depravity of man in “The Flesh and the Spirit.” Emily Dickinson struggled through doubt and faith in immortality in her poem, “This World is not Conclusion.” Puritan’s hung tight to their depravity forsaking the rich beauty of the new world they had discovered. Nathaniel Hawthorne often used this sentiment in his writings, relying heavily on masks and scarlet letters to showcase the believers separating themselves from the people and things of this world. They knew all to well, even in the midst of raw untamed creation, they were only passing through.
I sometimes wonder if our eyes are so heaven bound we miss the beauty of His creation along the way? Do we miss that which He delighted in creating and declared good? Do we miss the people we were placed here to love, the purpose we were given to fulfill, the journey we were meant to live? Do we miss the opportunities to love and pray for the world we inhabit? Are we so consumed with our interpretation of scripture that we miss what God has put in front of us?
