Eternity in Their Hearts

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.

—Ecclesiastes 3:11

It is amazing what a tiny seed planted in the dirt and nourished with a little water can produce in time. From the majestic oak tree to the beautiful orchid, from the coffee bean to the banana bunch, all begin with a tiny seed and dirt. But in time, what wonderful things result.

In Ecclesiastes 3, Solomon ponders these wonders, noting that such a process has to be from God. To transform things once ugly and dirty into things majestic and beautiful can only be the work of the Lord.

The wondrous thing about this is that it applies to circumstances and trials in life as well. In time, God takes dark and ugly difficulties and produces beautiful things from them. I have seen Christian after Christian who has faced some of the most unbelievable difficulties in life become majestic oaks of faith and beautiful orchids of hope in the lives of others facing similar trials.

Sometimes life hits you so hard it feels like you’re lying in the dirt. Then, to add insult to injury, someone comes along and throws water on you. Now you’re not just lying in the dirt, but you’re lying in mud. But what magnificent things are produced through just such a scenario! In time, seed, dirt, and water produce an endless array of wonders when the gardener is God, whether in the physical world or in the spiritual.

Times of trial can be hard, lonely, and painful, and we often face them alone. But in time, something beautiful can come from even the darkest of trials. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen a woman wounded early in life by the horrific tragedy of sexual trauma provide comfort to another who has encountered the same thing. In time, one’s person’s pain became another person’s comfort, even if only in the sense of providing the knowledge that someone else knows what it feels like to be hurt in such a way.

Like Solomon, I don’t know how God achieves the end results that He brings forth from some people’s beginnings, but I have seen Him do it too many times to doubt it. God makes everything beautiful in its time. This is a great truth to embrace today.

Excerpt from “Body Builders” now available on Amazon.

BARRY STAGNER