But, I was taken aback one day when she shared her weariness of life with me. “I feel like nothing in this world can truly satisfy me anymore,” she confessed. “I thank God for His goodness to me and my family. But the happiness doesn’t last. These blessings only make me thirsty for something more than what this world offers.”

She added that the passing of a dear mutual friend had exacerbated these feelings. “The blessings I have are also responsibilities that bring me anxiety. I look forward to heaven.”

Kristine’s sharing surprised me. After all, the world tells us that riches, success, and power would buffer us from life’s sufferings, sorrows and stresses, as Proverbs 18:11 alludes to: “The wealth of the rich is their fortified city; they imagine it a wall too high to scale.”

I thought such laments about this unsatisfying world were only felt by “ordinary” people like me. But I guess Kristine, and many others, have seen too much brokenness and sin in this world to want to linger here any longer.

As I mulled over Kristine’s words, I thought about how I’ve often felt that there’s more to life than what we experience on earth.

The Bible describes someone prominent who felt the same way.

King Solomon had it all―wisdom, great projects, work, advancement, pleasures, wealth, women. He had everything anyone could possibly want.

For us today, that might look like reaching the pinnacle of our organisation and raking in hundreds of thousands a month. Being able to jet-set to whatever luxury destination we fancy, or to buy whatever gadget, outfit, or food we desire. Having the respect and admiration of everyone around us.

In spite of all this, Solomon called everything he had “meaningless” (Ecclesiastes 2:23). This expression, translated as vanity or futility in some Bible versions, comes from the Hebrew word hevel, meaning vapour or breath.

At the same time, we get a glimpse of Solomon’s desire for things that lasted forever. He hated the idea that whatever he had done and achieved would be lost to those who came after he died (Ecclesiastes 2:18-23).

Just like Kristine, who seemed to have everything in life, Solomon recognised that everything we possess could disappear in the blink of an eye. Because of this, we yearn for something that will truly last and satisfy.

Perhaps this is why Solomon went on to write that God has “set eternity in the human heart” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). According to GotQuestions.org, this refers to a desire that cannot be fulfilled nor quenched by the temporal and transient things and relationships of this world, no matter how good they can be.

I guess we yearn for eternity because that was God’s original, perfect plan in the Garden of Eden. We could have enjoyed unblemished bodies, untroubled labour, and perfect peace with God and one another, forever.

But after the fall of man, all that ended.

He was condemned to spiritual death—having been cut off from fellowship with and separated from God—and physical death, when the tree of life was no longer accessible to him. Genesis 3:22 tells us God’s words following man’s first sin: “He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.”

Yet, this prohibition in itself was God’s act of mercy and protection.

Imagine our unending misery, sorrow, and grief.

Thankfully, God, out of His love for His creation, gave us His Son Jesus Christ, so that we who believe can have eternal life (John 3:16). We are restored to know Him—that is eternal life (John 17:3). Romans 2:7, too, tells us that God will give eternal life to those who “by persistence in doing good seek glory, honour and immortality”.

We have eternal life in part now, and one day, it shall be in full.

God has placed in each of our hearts―you, me, Kristine, and even King Solomon―a desire for eternity, so that we will look forward to the day we are fully united with Him, and live wisely and with intentionality as we await the day of Jesus’ return.

Perhaps taking an inventory of how we spend our time can help us live with wisdom. Looking at how I spent my time, I realised that I gave too much time on entertainment and too little time digging into His Word. I’ve started to wake up earlier to read God’s Word and pray before I head to work.

Another specific way we can mine for wisdom is to read the book of Proverbs. I’ve heard a preacher give this advice: read a chapter of Proverbs every day, which will enable us to complete the book in a month. We can then start over and read through the whole book every month. In so doing, we gain wisdom, which helps us to guard our hearts, the wellspring of life (Proverbs 4:11, 13, 23).

In recognising our limited time on earth, we can be intentional in making the most of every opportunity, when it comes to relating to unbelievers (Colossians 4:5), which I realised I wasn’t.

During a recent catch-up, a friend caught herself gossiping about a common acquaintance. Out of the blue, she asked, “What does God say about this?” But I brushed her question aside because I thought, what’s the point of telling her when she doesn’t believe in Christ? In hindsight, I realised that I’d missed the God-given opportunity to share with her more about who God is and how He desires us to live.

Now, I pray that I would recognise the opportunities to share gospel truth with my loved ones. Because I care about whether they will spend their eternity outside the kingdom of God, I am now more deliberate in inviting them to church service and sharing the gospel with them.