It’s 1994 and I’m sitting on the couch in our Nashville apartment stewing. I’m upset. I’m angry. I’m hurt. Someone did something and said something and now I’m wounded. The incident occurred several weeks ago and I’m still upset. I can’t get it off my mind. I can’t let it go. I’m offended. I’m replaying the incident over and over again. I can’t believe they did this. I can’t believe they said this. I can’t believe they did it behind my back. It’s eating me up inside.
And as I sit there, letting waves of hurt wash over me, I hear Holy Spirit gently say: “Will this matter when you get to Heaven?”
What?
He repeats: “Will this matter when you get to Heaven?”
I pause.
He presses: “In the grand scheme of things – in light of eternity – will this make any difference?”
Gulp. “No Lord, it won’t.”
He continues: “I will not ask you about this when you see Me. But I will ask about your attitude.”
That would not be the last time I would hear those gentle words whispered into my heart. He often has to redirect my attention. I can get so caught up in the moment that I fail to realize it’s just that – a temporary, fleeting moment. I can get so tangled up in the here and now that I drag it with me into the future, where it inevitably trips me up. And I can be an expert in making a mountain out of a mole hill. You should see some of my creations.
So, He is patiently teaching me to exchange my worldly perspective for an eternal one. With His tender nudges, He is encouraging me to swap my short-term thinking for the timeless view point. He is inviting me to look at things from His perspective.
By answering the three questions, I begin to see through His perspective.
- Will this matter when you get to Heaven? Is this even something that I will think about in eternity? Will it be a big deal in Heaven? Will there be talk about this in Heaven?
- In the grand scheme of things – in light of eternity – will this make any difference? Stepping back to look at the big picture; where does this fit? Does this change my relationship with Jesus? Does this change my eternal destination? Can I take this with me to Heaven? Does it have any impact on Heaven?
- I will ask about your attitude. What will Jesus say to me about this? What will He say about how I handled the situation? How I treated others? How I represented Him? Will He say “Well done My good an faithful servant?” (Matthew 25:23) Or will this be more wood, hay and straw that I’ve filled my life with? (1Corinthians 3:11-16)
And as I look at my circumstances through the lens of His perspective, I begin to see what really matters.
The things that I have elevated to critical status are now deflated to their rightful position or eliminated altogether. I realize the emotions I’ve been hanging on to are damaging me. I see that my attitudes are hurting others. I see that I have emphasized and valued the wrong things. As I look at everything from His perspective, everything shifts back into its proper place.
I’m in the process of learning how to live out Colossians 3:1-2 ….set your sights on the realities of heaven……Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. I want to think more about Heaven and less about earth with each passing day. I want to exchange my worldly perspective for the eternal. I want the realities of Heaven to shape my thinking so that I can see everything from His perspective. 
Comments 12
Great truth! Thanks for being real!!!
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Thanks for stopping by to read 🙂
Forgiveness is so simple. We forgive others the way Christ forgave us. Oh, but it is not as easy as it is simple. I make it difficult and the enemy makes it even harder because I have let my anger/hurt/disappointment rule my attitude. Thank you for good words to tuck into my heart.
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You are right – forgiveness is much easier said than done. I have found these questions help me get started down that path!
Thank you for sharing…
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Thanks for reading: )
could not have come at a better time!
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So glad you found it helpful! And thanks for following the blog 🙂
Hi Kim – you are ‘it’ again. What do I mean? Again you have guided me to the truth of the Word. This weekend I spent time with an old friend who brought up an old issue that she thought I should be concerned about. In truth, I was concerned about the issue and tried several ways to deal with it – all wrong – resulted in anger and more hurt. I know I heard from God to let go and He mercifully guided me through the path of total release. Well as I discussed with my friend this weekend, I stood my ground on what God told me. But two things happened – I started to replay the past and the feelings of anger started to gently reappear and then this afternoon the thought crossed my mind that I may be wrong. I was at work and I said a silent prayer for God to please help me sort out these feelings, thoughts etc. Well I have asked myself the three questions and I know the answer – my choice – ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE. Thanks Kim for your obedience to service.
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God has an amazing way of bringing things (like blogs!) to our attention to confirm what He’s doing in us. I’m so glad He used this blog 🙂
You nailed it Kim. In the light of eternity what does it really matter. Yet, I find things try to creep back in and stir me up. I continually find myself pleading for help, mercy and grace. I greatly dislike when I start to feel ugly on the inside from hurts that I know I have dealt with.
So I continue to press into His forgiveness and give forgiveness, I continue to pray blessing.
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Mare, this is a constant struggle we face – keeping everything in the right perspective. It’s so easy to get caught up in what we “see” and “feel” and let that have a greater influence on us. It’s part of the process – choosing again and again!