My daddy was my hero. When I was young, I loved holding his hand on summer walks. He was big, strong, and had a very firm grip. As the years went by, his strength weakened. When I held his hand as he labored in death, he could barely even clasp mine. He couldn’t hold on to me any more than I selfishly wanted to hold on to him forever. 

As my dad and I lost hold of each other that day, God’s Word, through the apostle Paul, came through loud and clear: “What I mean, brothers and sisters, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they do not; those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away” (1 Corinthians 7:29-31). 

Paul’s advice was to the Corinthian church, with an eye to the second coming of Christ. The text now instructs us to maintain a Christian end-of-time perspective. Jesus’ death and resurrection introduced a new era—that as Christians we have one hand in this world and the other in the kingdom of God, holding lightly to all things of this world.

I’ll always remember my daddy’s firm grip, but I’ll never forget that my heavenly Father’s grip is eternal. To that, I hold tightly.