by Hansol An

Pastor John Kim once illustrated the importance of having a big picture view of life and the decisions that we make. On a white board he drew a horizontal line with arrows pointing out at each end. “This is all of time,” he proclaimed as he gestured back and forth along the line. Then, in the middle of the line, he drew a small dot and said, “This is your life.” He went on to explain that God wants us to have an eternal perspective of life since our lives on earth are so short in the grand scheme of eternity. He went on to say that our decision making process should take eternal ramifications into consideration. “Live for the line, not the dot,” he said. That was such a simple but profound principle that stuck with me ever since, changing the way I approached every decision I made.

Colossians 3:1-3 says, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” Paul understood that having a heavenly perspective in life is part and parcel with being a Christian. It’s fundamental, not optional. If we fulfill the criteria he set forth in the beginning and ending of those verses (died and raised with Christ), then this applies to us. As Christians this is a command that God fully expects us to carry out.

Unlike other, more tangible imperatives, this requires more from us than just an outward action. This requires a wholesale change in the way we think. We are to “seek the things that are above” or those things that are eternal and not the “things that are on earth” or temporal. When we evaluate anything in life, we need to look at it from God’s point of view. We don’t have the benefit of omniscience, like God, but that’s why He gave us the Bible. Obviously, explicit detail is not given for every situation that we’ll face but the foundational instructions given to us through Scripture provides the principles we need for every situation, event or decision. The Word of God is all we need (Psalm 19:7-9).

When we forget to view things from God’s perspective, we tend to get shortsighted and temporal in our thinking. The world we live in seeks immediate gratification instead of the future fruits of prudence today. This results in limiting our consideration to the immediate benefits and consequences, when in reality there may be ramifications for years to come.

One area where this is exhibited over and over again is dating. Guys will often say that they “like” a girl and that they are going to ask her out. But when probed about why they like that particular girl, the answers usually reveal that thought has only been given to what she is like now. She serves in this ministry and that ministry. She’s kind, fun and smells good. She doesn’t run away when I come into the room. All are good reasons but rarely is there consideration for what all that means in the long run. Her service in ministry might reveal a heart that puts others before herself. Her kindness might exhibit the unselfish love necessary for a godly wife. Her fun attitude might show that she truly is joyful always. Her ability to maintain good hygiene would be desirable for wife and mom. The fact that she can stand your presence might show mercy. These are biblical attributes that are desirable for a godly wife. If dating is for marriage, shouldn’t every potential girlfriend be evaluated on her potential to be a god-honoring wife and mother? This is one example and there is so much more to consider even within this one example but the issue remains whether or not we have a temporal or eternal perspective.

There are many benefits to living for the line and not the dot but perhaps the most important one is that we don’t focus on the immediate rewards and consequences but also consider the long term, even eternal implications. One way to challenge our perspective is to ask and consider, “How does my decision affect the Great Commission?” Because what we believe is determined not by what we say but rather by what we do, everything we do reveals what we truly believe (James 1:22-25). What you do now has implications for years to come – live for the line, not the dot so that God would be glorified through every decision you make.

Editor’s Note: The original “live for the line, not the dot” quote should be attributed to Randy Alcorn (from his book The Treasure Principle).