My wife and I are in the midst of a home remodel in order to get it ready for sale. I’m a little torn. We are spending thousands of dollars in order to market our home. Who are we marketing it to? Since it’s a big house, it will work well for someone with a growing family. I wonder what they’re searching for? They are probably searching for space, comfort, and a place to call home. We could offer that without all the new paint and the new front door. But we know most who search are looking for something more. They are probably looking for new, for pizzazz, for a wow factor that will promise happiness, fulfillment, contentment.
They won’t find those things in my house or any other. Our drive to be satisfied comes from a longing in every heart to connect with the eternal. We want to live forever. We want to live with order. We want to live in peace. We want to live with God. You see, our hearts can only begin the journey to fulfillment by recognizing where the yearning comes from. The Preacher wrote, “he has put eternity into man’s heart (Ecclesiastes 3:11).”
Nothing in this world will satisfy us. In his book, “And He Dwelt Among Us, A.W. Tozer wrote, “Your poor heart, in which God put appreciation for everlastingness, will not take electronic gadgets in lieu of eternal life. Something inside of you is too big for that, too terrible, too wonderful. God has set everlastingness in your heart. All the things of this world are here for but a moment and then are gone. None can satisfy the longing for that eternal raging in the soul of every man (pg. 24).”
Our longing is too big for anything else than the eternal, to satisfy. And there is only one Eternal One. “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God (John 1:1).” And, “his name shall be called, “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isa. 9:6).
I will continue to make my home a little nicer. If nothing else, the new owners won’t have a long list of “to do’s” before the move in. But it won’t satisfy them (I hope my realtor isn’t reading this). Their satisfaction, like ours, will only come when they connect their eternal longing with the Eternal One. When we live in oneness with God, we will be at peace, today and every day hereafter. That’s why Jesus came. He opened the door to eternity for each of us. Through repentance and faith, eternity becomes ours. And by faith, we can walk with Him each day, living our eternal lives now.