He is nearsighted and blind.
—2 Peter 1:9
The apostle Peter tells us that if we are not adding spiritual qualities to our life, we are nearsighted. Other translations have it “shortsighted” or “seeing only what is near.”
We think of the “real” as being near—what we can see and touch. Our house is real; our car is real; our shoes are real. Material things are real.
What about spiritual things? Hmm. They’re a bit fuzzy; desirable, but not quite real.
The Bible turns that view upside down …
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 Cor. 4:18).
Change the lens prescription so what is near is blurred and what is distant is clear; beyond the temporary to the eternal.
Every funeral is a reminder of the
difference between the temporary and the eternal.