Too Earthly Minded…

You may have heard it said of somebody, “He (or she) is so heavenly minded he’s no earthly good.”  The implication is that person may focus too much on God and not enough on his or her responsibilities.  Usually, such a person makes me want to live more for God!  There is another extreme, though—too earthly-minded to be any heavenly good. 

The Bible says, What I mean, brothers, is that the time is short.  From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none; those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away… 1 Corinthians chapter 7, verse 29.

I remember once I was impatient with my husband, Steve.  Let’s just say I wanted my way and wasn’t getting it. I didn’t say much to him, but there were lots of complaints going on internally. This verse jumped off the pages of God’s word and hit their intended target. “Hey, Lynn, your focus is selfish.  You aren’t taking the future into account.”  As I often do when I get distracted about what’s important, I tried it on.  I thought, “What would it be like to live as if I had no husband?  Am I so engrossed in the things of this world that I am forgetting I’m half of the equation with Steve as my other (and believe me, better) half?” 

Life is too short to be stuck on having my own way. I’ve heard our time on earth referred to as a dot on a long line reaching into eternity.  Too short to be engrossed in the things of this world.  Too short to be impatient when circumstances are not just right. (That’s hard for a Goldilocks-type—we want things just right.) Too short to forget that my relationship with Steve and my thought life are more important than having my own way. 

The Bible makes it clear that God’s children should be heavenly minded.  Colossians chapter 3, verse 2 tells us to Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. What is His plan for my day, my life?  God calls me to live as if time is short and the world in its present form is passing away – because it’s true!