Several years ago, I went with a group of friends to Las Vegas, Nevada, for a wedding. Although we weren’t thrilled about the casinos or “night life” that are typical of the city, there were several other aspects of the town we couldn’t wait to explore – the lights, the food, the hotels…the lack of humidity! We wanted to experience it all!

We had a great time walking down the streets of Vegas, with perfect hair and six cameras among the four of us, and spent the days going from one hotel to another gawking at the sights. Where else can you experience New York City, the pyramids of Egypt, Caesar’s Palace, and Paris, France, all in one day?

However, it was while we were in Paris (that is the Paris Las Vegas Resort) that I had an epiphany. We were standing at the base of the Eiffel Tower attempting to read all the signs that were written en Français, when we noticed a sign that beckoned us to pay $15 to go up to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Why not? we thought. We’d already had our French baguettes and a little café au lait and besides, when would we ever get such an opportunity? We were in line and poised with our money and cameras when it hit me.

“You know,” I said to my friends, “we’re not really in Paris.” They paused. “And this isn’t the real Eiffel Tower.” They realized it, too. We had become so caught up in the fanfare and excitement of the city that we forgot that it wasn’t the real thing. We may have visited the New York, New York Hotel that day, but we were never really in New York City. And we may have walked through the Excalibur Hotel, but not once were we really in a medieval castle. We had fallen victim to the Vegas Syndrome.

The Vegas Syndrome is one of Satan’s greatest tricks, and it is amazing how often we fall for it. He uses anything he can think of – busy calendars, work obligations, family relationships, money challenges – to distract us from the Real Thing (Jesus!) and to lure us into a world in which we forget that silly things like new cars, media rooms, or the latest business deals really don’t matter into eternity. We forget that we have a heavenly home and that everything in this world is a small scale, fleeting illusion of what is to come. (Phil. 3:20-21, 1 John 2:15, 17, Col. 3:1-2)

I’ve yet to make it to the real Eiffel Tower in Paris, but I’ve heard the view is amazing. And I’ve yet to make it to my heavenly home, but from what I’ve read, it will be a place beyond words! We forget that this world – the right here, right now – is Satan’s world. It’s the cheap, Vegas knockoff, if you will. Our home is in heaven, and to fall short of such a viewpoint is to settle for second best. Let us not spend our lives striving to get to the top of a fake Eiffel Tower!

[Excerpt from At The Foot of the Cross: A 90-Day Devotional for Becoming Living Proof of a Loving God to a Watching World; Repost from You Glo Girl! July 2010]

Q: What helps you keep an eternal perspective in life?