Roman Opalka and Infinity

Roman Opalka died on August 6th, leaving a legacy of longing. Opalka, a painter who yearned for infinity, spent the last 46 years of his life in painting numbers on canvases. He painted numbers all the way from 1 to 5,500,000. 

Why? Infinity intrigued him, drawing him irresistibly to its pulsating fascination. He yearned to get as close to infinity as he possibly could. 

Some may think Roman Opalka's enterprise was silly, some may think it was admirable. But Roman Opalka was expressing the same longing for infinity that all of us have. Sometimes a beautiful piece of music arouses the yearning for infinity - sometimes it's a lovely landscape - sometimes it's a well-written book. But all human beings possess  that same longing for the infinite, the perfect, the beautiful - a desire placed in human hearts by the infinite, perfect, beautiful Creator.

You Matter

The human soul yearns for eternity. We desperately want to believe that we matter ... that there's something beyond the here and now.

Yet sometimes we wonder, don't we?

We watch people striving to accomplish certain goals. Perhaps they want to achieve fame, gain money, impress others, or maybe they strive out of true zeal for a cause.
Then we realize that even if they do achieve their goal, it may feel that it hardly matters and no one cares. Even if they achieve fame, it may not last. Even if they gain money, it may vanish. Even if they impress some, there's no guarantee everyone will stay impressed. Even if they fulfill their cause, it may be defeated at any time.

We build our hopes and fears - our very lives - on these dreams ... only to realize sooner or later that they don't satisfy our yearning for eternity

Ecclesiastes 3:19 echoes the hopelessness we all feel: "For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity."

Is there any way out? Jeremiah 31:17 gives us the answer: "There is hope for your future..."

How do we grasp this hope? We must center our lives on Jesus Christ by accepting Him as our Lord and Savior.

If we make Him the cornerstone for our lives, we will matter. Even when our hopes and dreams don't give us the satisfaction we desire, He will satisfy our desires more deeply and fully than we could've ever imagined.

Jesus offers you meaning for eternity.