By Harold Vaughan
One word changed a city.
For more than thirty years, an unlikely evangelist walked the streets of Sydney, Australia, carrying a piece of chalk. His name was Arthur Stace. Once an alcoholic and petty criminal, he was gloriously converted by the grace of God. After hearing a sermon on eternity, he became consumed with one overwhelming burden.
He wrote one word.
ETERNITY
Before dawn, on sidewalks, streets, and public places, he carefully inscribed that single word hundreds of thousands of times. Most people never knew who wrote it. Yet generation after generation stopped, looked down, and were confronted with the same question:
Where will I spend eternity?
Years after his death, the word ETERNITY was illuminated across the Sydney Harbour Bridge during the Olympic Games, seen by millions around the world. What began as the burden of one converted sinner became a message to the nations.
That story exposes something our generation desperately lacks.
We Have Lost Our Sense of Eternity
We think about careers, retirement, investments, vacations, sports, politics, and possessions. We plan for next week but seldom prepare for forever.
The early Christians lived in light of eternity. We desperately need to taste the powers of the world to come once more (Hebrews 6:5). Eternity was not a distant doctrine in the early church—it shaped how they prayed, suffered, gave, worshiped, and lived.
The church is strongest
when eternity is nearest.
When eternity fades, sin becomes easier, compromise becomes acceptable, and comfort becomes our highest pursuit. But when eternity grips the heart, earthly treasures lose their shine, souls become precious, holiness becomes beautiful, and Christ becomes everything.
Every funeral reminds us that life is brief.
Every cemetery reminds us that eternity is certain.
Every page of Scripture reminds us that heaven and hell are real.
The greatest need of this generation is not more entertainment or information. It is a fresh vision of eternity.
Perhaps we need someone to write that forgotten word on the sidewalks of our hearts once again.
ETERNITY.
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