Pacifica Stories

Read about Head of School Jim Knight’s meditation on eternity and our understanding of time.

A View of Time
Each moment—this moment—is part of eternity. We are a small part of a much grander whole. At this very second, we have a particular vantage point from which to consider eternity. From this vantage point, where are we to look?

Let me propose that we look back to the past, look down fully engaged in the present, and look forward, prepared for the future. Most of all, we should look up to God, who is the center of all of life.

Looking Back to the Past
Looking back is essential. When we look back, we learn from our experiences and the situations we have encountered. We celebrate the good and reflect on important memories. There are moments of pride. Perhaps we see mistakes and have regrets for things we have done or things we didn’t do. We know when looking back that God offers us forgiveness for the mistakes we have made and the wrong we have done. Looking back is essential as it promotes thanksgiving, forgiveness, and hope.

Looking Forward to the Future
The future might be a mixture of excitement and anxiety. To live well in the present, we must accurately view the future. In Christ, our future is secure. There is great hope. Knowing the eternal picture, we can live free and without fear. Living well also means developing a vibrant imagination for what our future might look like. Living well means being prepared for the future.  

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. We are freed from and forgiven of regrets and mistakes from before. We are bathed in good memories and bolstered by a long line of those who have come before. We don’t need to fear the future. The future is known. It is taken care of. We are fully in the moment, ready to live an incredible life right now!

Looking Down in the Present
This reality gives us another place to look. We can LOOK DOWN. When we look down, we look at the details of life, the ordinary, the here and now. 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. Looking down brings us into the stuff of life—reality as we know it. Some of us don’t look down enough. We are taken by the past or swept up by the future, either paralyzed by one or worried about the other. We are not fully present; we are not engaged. We need to be freed to look down and show up today.

On the other hand, some of us look down too much. We forget the past and ignore the future and the eternal picture. We are swapping the eternal view for the temporal one. We are addicted to now, thinking this is all there is. We are stuck at the moment.

So look back to the past, look forward to the future, and look down in the present. All three are key to living well.

There is more. There is one more place to look if we are to truly flourish. 

Grounded by the Eternal
I have been fortunate to travel, and I like to visit churches. I have been to many churches in the world, some famous and some small: Notre Dame in Paris, St. 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. When I enter Westminster Abbey, St. Peter’s, or Notre Dame, something happens as I walk through the doors. There is beauty and grandeur. Every time I enter, my gaze is fixed upward toward the heavens. I LOOK UP. These churches are designed so that when you walk in, you look up. You look up at the grandeur, the beauty, the immense space. They are meant to send our minds heavenward. 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.

I would argue that our heads are far too embedded in this world with their cares, struggles, pleasures, and people. We aren’t designed only for this world. We need to consider the next. I would also argue that our heads are often far too embedded in the past or future. To flourish, we need to LOOK UP TO THE HEAVENS. When we look up, we begin to see the next world. We begin to consider the fullness of our being, both temporal and eternal. Looking up and getting a glimpse of heaven is good for our soul; it allows us to fully live in the present. Looking up points us to the eternal, the heavenly, and the divine. It points us to something outside of ourselves.

The path to true freedom begins by recognizing that what we need most isn’t found inside us—not from our past, our present, or our future. Perhaps it comes from God. Perhaps it is outside of ourselves and not something we make.

God gives us an identity. In Him, we live and move and find our being. He gives us life, purpose, and a blueprint for flourishing. We are eternal beings created with souls, and when we look up to heaven and look to Him, we conform to His perfect plan for our lives. When we look up, we look at the author and creator of life. We can try to do it on our own, and perhaps we will do great things on our own, under our strength, without God. However, I believe that sells us short. It is not true flourishing in the eternal sense, and there is an eternity to consider.

C.S. Lewis said it well: “Aim at heaven, and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth, and you get neither.”

By Jim Knight, Head of School