I Am Here On Earth For Just A Little While: Chapt. 6 Purpose Driven Life

Previous chapters can be found on the Purpose Driven Life page.

“The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.” “We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:18

This chapter reminds me of the section Rick Warren discussed in Chapt. 3 on materialism. My grandmother used to say in a nice, easy to say and remember rhyme in French that eventually everything passes, everything breaks and everything bores. In other words everything is temporary. She thought we shouldn’t get too attached to things because their appeal was temporary, and even our lives on earth were temporary. Why bother making ourselves too comfortable if this is just a camping trip, after all? We are just passing through.

At this moment when we are looking at how temporary or fleeting everything is, especially in contrast with all of eternity, does it make us reflect about how we are living? Do we need to change the way we are living right now? While we are still of this world for now and must live here for now, what preparations should we make right now for our permanent destination?

We need to consider what we are attached to which could prevent us from fulfilling our purposes. It is more important to take care of our eternal souls. Warren gives us this other bible quote to think about, “Friends, this world is not your home, so don’t make yourselves cozy in it. Don’t indulge your ego at the expense of your soul.”

Tomorrow we’ll look at Chapt. 7 on The Reason For Everything. May God help all of us understand and be enlightened as we keep reading. See you tomorrow!

As I was typing the two quotes at the very top from 2 Corinthians 4:18, I thought that perhaps it might seem a bit confusing. Warren uses many different translations as he discusses the bible. He picks and choses from the various translations for the best nuances or to better explain what he is trying to convey. If you haven’t done so yet, read Appendix 3: “Why use so many translations?”