Though they don’t feel like such when we are in the midst of them, light and momentary, Paul tells us, are our afflictions, not worthy to be compared to the eternal weight of glory (II Corinthians 4:17). CS Lewis captured this glorious wisdom as he concluded The Last Battle, the final installment of the his Narnia Chronicles-
“And as He spoke, He no longer looked to them like a lion; but the things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful that I cannot write them. And for us this the end of all the stories, and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after. But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on for ever: in which every chapter is better than the one before.”
When Jesus returns He will not toss this world into the ash heap. Instead when He returns not only we, but the whole of the world will be complete. What we are to remember is that we are going back to the garden, only better. The end of the story is the fullness of the victory of Christ. The Second Adam succeeds, and we with Him. We will be raised and perfected. The whole of the world will no longer be groaning. We will become what we should have been. This is certain. Be of good cheer. He has already overcome the world. We are living in the denouement.
As we remember these truths we see today and eternity intertwined. There is no great chasm that separates one from the other, no disconnect between this day the Lord has made, and the boundless future of paradise. Time and eternity are of a piece, even as sanctification and glorification are of a piece. Which means that as we fulfill our calling to remember eternity, we fulfill our calling to redeem the time. We move through our days knowing that as we faithfully seek His glory, our labors will not be among the wood, hay and stubble that will be burned off, but will be the very jewels on the walls of the New Jerusalem. We come to discover that right now really does count forever. And ennui slouches its way to hellfire. We live with purpose, with passion, with joy. The King is coming.
When we realize that time and eternity are one, we no longer try to keep a foot in both worlds. It is wearying business indeed to live both for the here and the now as well as the there and the then. Because such is always serving two masters. We are to remember that here is there and now is then. Because here is there, every bit of work matters, and every blessing is a taste of heaven. Because now is then, He is with us even as we await His return. We work, knowing He has already overcome the world. We rest, knowing He has already overcome the world.