![]() Looking up points us to the eternal, the heavenly, and the divine. Looking up and getting a glimpse of heaven is good for our soul it allows us to fully live in the present. We begin to consider the fullness of our being, both temporal and eternal. When we look up, we begin to see the next world. To flourish, we need to LOOK UP TO THE HEAVENS. I would also argue that our heads are often far too embedded in the past or future. I would argue that our heads are far too embedded in this world with their cares, struggles, pleasures, and people. They are purposefully designed to take our mind off of this world, if just for a moment, and have us consider something more, something bigger: Heaven – God – Eternity – the Divine. They are meant to send our minds heavenward. You look up at the grandeur, the beauty, the immense space. These churches are designed so that when you walk in, you look up. ![]() Every time I enter, my gaze is fixed upward toward the heavens. Peter’s, or Notre Dame, something happens as I walk through the doors. Peter’s in Rome, Westminster Abbey in London, Canterbury Cathedral in England, and non-descript local churches in different parts of the world with services in different languages. I have been to many churches in the world, some famous and some small: Notre Dame in Paris, St. I have been fortunate to travel, and I like to visit churches. There is one more place to look if we are to truly flourish. So look back to the past, look forward to the future, and look down in the present. We are addicted to now, thinking this is all there is. We are swapping the eternal view for the temporal one. We forget the past and ignore the future and the eternal picture. On the other hand, some of us look down too much. We need to be freed to look down and show up today. We are not fully present we are not engaged. We are taken by the past or swept up by the future, either paralyzed by one or worried about the other. Looking down brings us into the stuff of life-reality as we know it. This is where life happens, in the present: the homework, the schedule, the relationships, the to-do list, the part-time job, sports practice, theater rehearsal, and more. When we look down, we look at the details of life, the ordinary, the here and now. This reality gives us another place to look. We are fully in the moment, ready to live an incredible life right now! We are bathed in good memories and bolstered by a long line of those who have come before. We are freed from and forgiven of regrets and mistakes from before. We look back, remembering our past we look forward with hope, and in doing so, we are ready to be fully planted in the present. Living well means being prepared for the future. Living well also means developing a vibrant imagination for what our future might look like. Knowing the eternal picture, we can live free and without fear. To live well in the present, we must accurately view the future. The future might be a mixture of excitement and anxiety. Looking back is essential as it promotes thanksgiving, forgiveness, and hope. We know when looking back that God offers us forgiveness for the mistakes we have made and the wrong we have done. Perhaps we see mistakes and have regrets for things we have done or things we didn’t do. We celebrate the good and reflect on important memories. When we look back, we learn from our experiences and the situations we have encountered. Most of all, we should look up to God, who is the center of all of life. Let me propose that we look back to the past, look down fully engaged in the present, and look forward, prepared for the future. From this vantage point, where are we to look? At this very second, we have a particular vantage point from which to consider eternity. ![]() We are a small part of a much grander whole. Read about Head of School Jim Knight’s meditation on eternity and our understanding of time.Įach moment-this moment-is part of eternity.
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