My dear friend, this is a question I often hear whispered in moments of quiet honesty. We want to be faithful in the world where God has placed us, yet we feel the pull of a home we have not yet seen. Asking this question is itself a sign that your heart is awake to God’s call. You’re not trying to escape the world—only to live in it in a way that keeps heaven in view.
When Jesus speaks of eternity, He never tells us to withdraw from earthly life. Instead, He invites us to let heaven shape the way we walk through each day. In the Gospel of John, He prays, “They are in the world, but not of the world.” That means we carry a different light within us, even as we work, serve, and love in the ordinary places of life. Eternity begins not at the moment we die, but at the moment we belong to Him.
The Church teaches us that our earthly service becomes eternal when it is done in love. Every hidden act of kindness, every sacrifice, every moment we choose forgiveness over resentment becomes part of the Kingdom that cannot fade. What this means for us is simple but profound: heaven is not only our destination—it is the pattern by which we shape our days. We don’t wait for eternal life; we practice it now through mercy, humility, and trust.
And in daily life, this takes a very gentle form. We live for eternity when we pray before we act, when we let Christ’s peace guide our choices, when we treat others with the dignity of those created for everlasting life. Even your work, your family, your struggles can become places where God is quietly forming your soul. Serving on earth is no longer a burden when you realize you’re already walking toward home with every step.
May God teach us to carry heaven in our hearts while our hands serve on earth. And may each small act of love become a seed of eternity planted in the soil of today.
— Fr. John Matthew, for Christian Way
