Friday, May 23, 2025
I don’t know if most houses are like this, (maybe it’s just mine) but some of my kitchen shelves must be eight feet high. I can’t see into them, and I have to stand on tiptoe just to put anything away. Therefore, almost all of the things up on those high shelves are things I don’t use very often. I have a glass pitcher up there and my waffle iron is up there. The last time I used that waffle iron was around 1995. There’s also an extra cover shade for one of the kitchen lights. They must have originally bought two and now they have an extra. I very seldom even think about the things resting on those upper shelves. They aren’t really a part of my life. They are waiting for some distant someday considering that I almost never think about them in the today.
In Colossians 3:2 the apostle Paul admonishes us to, “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” My response to that is, “Yes, but earth is where I keep all my stuff. Earth is where I keep all those things I use every day. The things of earth are all on eye-level because I make use of them so regularly.”
I think for most of us, heaven is sitting way up on the high shelves out of sight. Yes, we know it’s up there. Yes, we want to go there someday. Yes, we know we should spend time getting ready to go … but honestly, it’s way up on the high shelf and therefore difficult to reach.
But then Paul comes along to tell us that the important things are the high things. The things above are eternal - the things below are not. The things above show us who we can become whereas the things below coax us to stay exactly as we are. How many of those things resting at eye level destroy instead of develop?
You know, waffles are pretty good. Why has it been so long since I’ve had any? Maybe the reason is simply because the waffle iron is way up out of sight. Paul says, “Bring those high things down to eye level.” Think about the good things, the wise things, and the soul-forming things. Set your mind on who you can become instead of who you are.
