Lake Edge United Church of Christ

For Our Souls and Minds: “Never be afraid to sit awhile and think.” ~Lorraine Hansberry, A Raisin in the Sun

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately…I don’t know if that’s because we are starting a new year with new possibilities, or if its just a result of being driven indoors by the cold. Whatever the cause, the old wheels have certainly been turning. I don’t mean to say that I don’t indulge in thinking on a more or less regular basis, but usually my thoughts aren’t something I should necessarily share.

I’ve been thinking about eternity. Over time I have pretty much accepted eternity as something that occurs after life ends. However, while stumbling around inside this head of mine, I found I wasn’t completely happy with that concept.

I decided to look up the definition of eternity. The on-line dictionary gave me this: “the timeless state following death” and “time without end.” Upon further contemplation, I decided to dismiss “the timeless state following death” definition and keep the “time without end”. I concluded that we don’t have to wait until after we die to be eternal. Eternity is here. Now. Not something that exists only after we die.

Eternity is in each one of us. It is part of our fabric. God made us that way. If I assume that my existence is something that is forever, in one form or another, and that the here-and-now is a part of that eternity, the whole picture of existence just becomes, well…more manageable somehow. I find I don’t feel as rushed, for one thing. I have plenty of time. And this life of mine feels more like an adventure. It has its ups and
downs, joys and sorrows; it is rich with emotion, challenge and diversity. But this is just a part of my story, there’ll be more. I’ll read a new page of my story each day, and when the chapter is over, I’ll move on, into a new adventure, forever. I like that.

None of these are new thoughts, and they certainly aren’t finished thoughts. They are just thoughts that happen while quietly musing on a cold Wisconsin January day. “Never be afraid to sit awhile and think.” Luckily, the mysteries in our universe are abundant; we have much to ponder, much to puzzle over, and much to question within our souls and minds. The possibilities are infinite, our quest eternal. There’s plenty of time to change our minds. Again and again.