“Lift up your eyes! You are certainly a creature of time, but you are also a child of eternity. You are a citizen of heaven, and an alien and exile on earth, a pilgrim travelling to the celestial city.

I read some years ago of a young man who found a five-dollar bill on the street and who ‘from that time on never lifted his eyes when walking. In the course of years he accumulated 29,516 buttons, 54,172 pins, 12 cents, a bent back and a miserly disposition.’

But think what he lost.

He couldn’t see the radiance of the sunlight, the sheen of the stars, the smile on the face of his friends, or the blossoms of springtime, for his eyes were in the gutter.

There are too many Christians like that.

We have important duties on earth, but we must never allow them to preoccupy us in such a way that we forget who we are or where we are going” (John Stott).

“I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From where shall my help come? My help comes from Yahweh, Who made heaven and earth” (Psalm‬ ‭121‬:‭1‬-‭2‬, LSB‬)

It’s easy to be like a horse with blinders on and be so focused on the next place or the next task that we forget to notice where we are or pay attention to the surroundings. We don’t see the people in front of us or appreciate the creation God has set before us.

Even more, we’re so focused on the immediate that we fail to account for eternity. But as we know, life is short and eternity is . . . well, forever. It’s folly to be so worried about this little sliver of our existence and not be prepared for our eternal destination.

It’s true that we can’t take anything with us when we die. But we can take with us those who have trusted in Jesus because we were faithful to have gospel conversations with them. That’s why it’s so vital to always be ready to give an answer for the hope we have.

That starts by not losing sight of that hope by being so earthly-minded that we forget to look up once in a while. Lift up your eyes, because that’s where your true destination lies.