Friday, March 03, 2006

A letter from Soren:

"One who rows a boat turns his back to the goal toward which he labors. So it is with the next day. When by the help of eternity one lives absorbed in today, he turns his back to the next day. The more he is absorbed in today, the more decisively he turns his back upon the next day, so that he does not see it all. If he turns around, eternity is confused before his eyes., it becomes the next day. But if for the sake of laboring more effectually towards the goal (eternity) he turns his back, he does not see the next day at all. By the help of eternity he sees quite clearly today and its task.
If you are to labor fruitfully today, you must be in this position. It always involves delay and distraction to want to look impatiently every instance towards the goal, to see if you are coming a little nearer, and now a little nearer. No, be eternally and seriously resolved, turn completely to the labor and turn the back to the goal. Such is ones position in rowing a boat, but such is also a position when you believe.
You might think that the believer would be very far from the eternal when he turns his back to it and lives today, while the glimpser stands and looks towards it. And yet it is the believer who is nearest the eternal, while the apocalyptic visionary is farthest from the eternal. Faith turns its back to the eternal in order precisely to have this with him today." Kierkegaard.

I'm tired of being a glimpser.

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