Tim Eimer: Made for a different world. Choosing to set my heart and mind on heavenly things.

Dear friends,

It happened to me for the first time in Belize. Before having children,Gayle and I went to the Caribbean yearly to snorkel and scuba dive off coral reefs. We traveled to Central America for our fifteenth weddingAnniversary and stayed in a remote beach resort. Belize’s barrier reef sat a mile off the beach, and early one morning, I kayaked to the reef and swam another mile through a maze of coral paths. Far from another living soul, I discovered a forest of Elkhorn coral. Rows of this magnificent coral rose a dozen feet from the ocean bottom and branched out like thick tree limbs. Bright shafts of sunlight streamed down on the coral lighting up the forest until it glowed like hot gold in the deep blue water. Brightly colored fish danced among the coral like splashes of paint on an azure canvas. Gliding through the pristine giants, I knew few people had ever seen them, and I remember thinking, “This is one of those moments outdoor people savor for a lifetime, but for some reason, there is something wrong here. Despite the spectacular scenery, this place is still impoverished.”

Oddly, this happened a month before my cancer diagnosis, and in the past three years, I’ve experienced the words of the old hymn- “…and the things of this earth will grow strangely dim.” As a science teacher, I see the illness of the land and ecosystems around me and how they groan beneath the curse of human sin (Romans 8:21-22), but even pristine places lack the vibrant colors, diversity of life and deep mystery that I sense should be there. CS Lewis summed it up best. “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probably explanation is that I was made for another world.”

Providentially, I am preparing to preach two sermons on heaven this summer, and as my radiation treatment approaches in a week, I choose to set my heart and mind on heavenly things instead of earthly things (Colossians 3:1-2). God has used this cancer to pluck my thoughts from the mire of this world and remind me of the brevity of life. In eternity past, the Lord numbered my days, and my entire life is passing like an exhaled breath (Psalm 39:4-5). Despite the small trials testing my faith, wonderful joy awaits me just a few heartbeats in the future (1 Peter 1:6-7).

Many of you have confided to me your present troubles and sufferings, and the great pain and sorrow you shoulder each day shocks me. I stand helpless in the face of your trials (and my own), but I can give you the great wealth and comfort of God’s promises. Your present troubles are small and will last but a brief moment in time, but even now they are creating a glory for you that vastly outweighs them and will be yours forever. Don’t look at your troubles, my friends, for they will soon be gone. Fix your gaze on the invisible wonders of Christ and His glory. (2 Corinthians 4:18-19)

As for me, I fix my gaze on heaven as I wait. Near my school, I run in a beautiful, wooded valley laced with trails winding their way along clear streams and through thick trees. Even this precious place has grown dim for me, a mere shadow of its heavenly counterpart, but at night, I daydream about heaven like a boy dreaming about playing professional baseball. I imagine running with a body now swift and strong. Golden hair streams behind me and my muscles explode with power. Sometimes I run alone; at other times I’m with many of you, and we shine with radiant beauty for we are now part of Christ's glory. (John 17:1) We sprint between trees as thick as houses with roots that plunge down into the very spine of the mountains. Fearless, we plunge into clear, green pools teeming with fish of every kind, and we dive down deep to explore the mysteries hidden in the depths. We run the trails again in perfect harmony knowing that nothing can hurt us or separate us from the joy of being together. Narnain creatures greet us from the trees, and we shout in reply. In tree houses created by craftsmen more talented than the Renaissance geniuses, we pause to drink wine from God’s very own vineyard and toast our allegiance to our Lord and King. Laughter streams from our lips in celebration of a fellowship so deep and intimate that we cannot imagine how we survived on such impoverished friendships back on the old earth. We race on, gathering others as we go, toward the great capitol city of our heavenly country for tonight the King has prepared a banquet for His citizens.

These are the invisible things prepared for us, brothers and sisters, though my poor writing craft can only conjure up a glimpse of the unimaginable joys in our future. (1 Corinthians 2:9) I encourage you to set your sights on the invisible wonders our Lord has created (Colossians 1:16) for it is only when we fix our thoughts on the glory of the next world that we can become truly effective in this one.

God bless,

Tim
PS: A few of you have inquired about my preaching dates. I am preaching July 6 and July 13 at Hope Community Church in Willow Grove, PA. The service starts at 10:00am.