Purpose Day 6: Life is a Temporary Assignment

Compared with eternity, life is extremely brief.
Earth is only a temporary residence... don't get too attached.

While I can't say I agree with all the thoughts from chapter 6, I do have to agree that I'm feeling much more awakened to the fact that life is brief. With a live earthquake app on my iPhone, live feeds covering the nuclear disaster in Japan and the 100s of terrible pictures of the destruction of the earthquake & tsunami, yes, life IS brief here on earth, and it can be taken from us in a heartbeat.

Its easy to forget that the pursuit of happiness is not what life is about.
We are preparing for something even better.

I'm glad to know its normal for us to feel "discontent and dissatisfaction in life - longings that will never be fulfilled on this side of heaven."

But I don't agree that we can't find love & beauty & be thankful for all God created for us on this earth. He did create it to be our home for our mortal lives, I don't think that should be taken lightly like its just a hotel room we are passing through. Yes, we will still need to treat it respectfully, in gracious thanks, but I think we can also be in love with its beauty, be in love with its people and still have our future eyes set on heaven.

How does one change, to be an ambassador of heaven and not of earth when earth is all we know! I'm very attached to the beauties of this earth but I do know & understand that they are only a fraction of the beauties and wonders of heaven. I still have fear on this earth of all the unknowns that it can throw at us, especially this week with its earthquakes, tsunamis, wars & nuclear melt-downs. I know there will be none of those fears in eternity but they still deserve respect here.