Eternity in our hearts

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” Ecclesiastes 3:11
Despite the often depressive language of the book of Ecclesiastes, it does contain a few gems. One is given here, concerning how much greater God is than us, yet He has placed eternity in our hearts.
What does this phrase mean? It is a reference to our individual spirits. Man is a kind of ‘trinity’ – body, soul, and spirit. Having a spirit is what sets us apart from the animals: they have a body, and a soul (personality, willpower, animate life force) – but they do not have a spirit. And that spirit is eternal, for every person – whether they are saved or not.
It has been said that every person has a God-shaped hole in their heart. As we look at the things people pursue after in life, we realise that this pursuit is driven by a feeling that they are lacking something. They try to satisfy that lack with money, pleasure, fame, relationships, etc. But the reality is that only God can fill that void. This is why our highest purpose in life is to be reunited with Him. Knowing Jesus as our Saviour is what makes us complete as human beings, the way God intended us to be.