Unseen

Unseen

“We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18, NIV).

Things we have around us do not last. The car, the iPhone, the computer, the flat-screen television, that new appliance, the new thing we just had to have—they are all fleeting. They are for a moment in time, but sometimes we make them the most important elements of our lives. If God has allowed them in our lives, they are His gifts to either abuse or appreciate. We abuse them when we make them the most important aspect of our lives. They are appreciated as God wishes when we love Him more, and we realize that we can absolutely live without them if He that is what He wishes.

We get so wrapped up in what we believe is ours. But all things belong to Him—even our relationships. When something doesn't work right, we frantically try to fix it. The Holy Spirit doesn’t want us to be frantically controlled by anything—whether a possession or a relationship. We can’t fix either one. He wants us to be free to enjoy the gifts He has given us. If the possession doesn’t “control” us, He gives us the wisdom to fix the problem without frustration.  If we realize that a problem in a relationships is not ours to solve, then we see that friendship as the gift He has given. Whether a possession or a friend, each belongs to Him, and not to us. If either one controls us, we have frustration and unrest. If He controls us, we have His peace. 

As humans we have a tendency to focus on what we see, and not what can't be seen. However, the Word tells us that if we fix our minds on Him, we can have His perfect peace (Isaiah 26:3). And He is the unseen. We can't see Him, but we know Him because He is in us. What we have on earth, either a possession or a relationship, is for a moment in time. I will appreciate each as God's gift realizing that He alone can fix what I can’t make right. I will do my best to take care of what He has entrusted to me, but I will do it with His guidance and power. He shall always be my greatest love, and the things he has given me to love on this earth will always be His gifts.

He has given me His greatest possession—an intimate relationship that transcends time. That greatest gift is His love, and it lives forever. It has brought me from spiritual death to eternal victory. I will treat His love with the tenderness and the greatest respect it so rightly deserves. I will hold fast to Him because He started His work in me, and, if I continually surrender my life to Him, He will complete it (Hebrews 12:2). Now I have the “unseen” of the Holy Spirit who brings purpose and peace to my life. I will always fix my vision on Him, and never allow the things of this earth to hold me back from His peace and the fulfillment His purpose brings. He owns my heart—not anyone or anything. The One I can’t see holds me securely in His loving grasp.

  Lynn Hampton Lacher