On Feb. 18, the church I pastor, First Baptist Church Hilton Head Island, will celebrate its 60th anniversary. We will celebrate this anniversary in a special service with our recently retired pastor, Dr. John Keller, preaching the service and some special guests attending from our early days.

There were many great church leaders in the early days of FBC, among whom were Norris and Lois Richardson. I imagine the church founders had much to do in life as they started and ran businesses in the early development of the island. However, these early church leaders saw the need not to get caught up in the decisions of the “here and now,” but to meet the eternal and spiritual needs of people as well.

It is tempting sometimes for well-meaning Christians to see their faith as a “slice of the pie” that is the sum of their life, with other slices consisting of work, family, hobbies, and so on. But the scripture in its entirety gives us a different view.

While our lives certainly consist of numerous slices, the faith of a Christian is not one of those slices. Rather it is the lens that through which we are to see every slice.

So, when we approach work, we are not only a businessman but a Christian businessman. When we approach mothering, we are a Christian mother. We are to seek ways to glorify God in and through all that we do.

Going through a very difficult time in life, the apostle Paul understood the importance of glorifying God in living for something greater than himself. He wrote to the church in Philippi, “For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don’t know which is better. I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live.” (Philippians 1:21-24, NLT)

This time spent in thought over our church’s history has been a reminder that life is about so much more than the “here and now.” Yes, we all have jobs to do, decisions to make, families to take care of, and the list goes on.

But be reminded with me that the decisions we make in this life have a much greater effect than we will ever see. How are your decisions impacting others? How are your decisions impacting your eternity?

When it comes to your spiritual life, don’t see it as a piece of the pie. It is rather that lens through which we are to see every area of our life, as we strive to make an eternal impact here and to glorify God in all that we do. 

Brett Myers is the senior pastor at First Baptist Church on Hilton Head Island. FBCHHI.org