It seems like everyone ponders forever in some form or another. It isn’t a Christian “thing”. And it isn’t some other religion’s exclusive territory…or merely a metaphysical concept. Regardless of whether you believe in a forever life in paradise with the Creator of the universe (like I do) or whether you believe the universe is like a perpetual motion machine…forever is a very long time.

Because forever is a very long time, it’s very important to ponder it with at least more than a passing glance. Maybe you’ll exist somewhere. Maybe you’ll even be fully aware of your existence and not be able to do or say anything of any consequence to anyone. Even if you don’t “believe” in a forever existence, your logical mind will still tell you it’s at least a possibility. If you’re an honest skeptic or agnostic person, you’ll admit this is true.

I don’t know about you, but when I ponder things, I prefer to come away from it with some faith, hope, and love. I can’t imagine not having the hope of eternal life. It would make this short time on earth seem so futile and fruitless and pointless. If my Christian worldview could somehow be proved false, I would be one of the world’s silly fools. And if there was no existence and awareness of existence beyond the grave…it wouldn’t really matter.

But I’m betting my eternal future on my Christian worldview being true. That sows hope in my heart, and one day I’ll reap paradise in the presence of God where forever will be awesome. Not having that hope sows despair and anguish, and that reaps an existence where forever is a very long time. Here’s what that might feel like…

Forever

Silence hanged over the night
Like an English fog over the bay.
The moon was a million silver candles
Shining through a black velvet curtain.

I heard the wind sing through the grass
And a coyote howl on a hill.
“Forever is probably like this”, I thought,
“And if it is, I won’t be around to know it;
So what of it?”

That, indeed, is why there are questions.
If they all had answers
That we knew of,
We wouldn’t ask them.

Yes, forever is a night,
But a night passes on
While forever stays…well…forever.

Will there always be the foggy silence?
The million silver candles?
The black velvet curtain?
Will there always be the singing wind?
And coyote’s howl?
These things we can only ponder,
And we may ponder…

Forever.

In Faith, Hope, and Love”