"For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all…" (Philippians 1:21-26).
Perhaps you’re wondering why God has allowed you to linger. You’ve lived your allotted three-score and ten, or four-score and more, and you, like the great Apostle, "desire to depart and to be with Christ" for that would, indeed, be better.
You should know this: Your tenure here on earth is not determined by the age of your parents, actuarial tables, the exercise you’ve taken, or the supplements you’ve ingested over the years, but by the providence of God. If you “remain and continue“ it is because your Father is not done with you yet. Your presence on earth is essential to complete his plan to bring salvation to the world.
The old Mennonites taught us by word and deed that God leaves the elderly so others can learn compassion. Perhaps you’ve been left here on earth to teach your family and friends to care.
Or maybe, you’ve been left for a season to show the next generation how to grow old successfully. That’s not an easy task and can only be done as we grow old with God. In truth, a cheerful old-timer is one of the crowning works of our Father in Heaven, a visible sign of his ever-renewing presence and power (2 Corinthians 4:16).
Finally, there may be things to be done in you that can only be done through time. The Spirit yearns to ripen his fruit within you and endow you with the beauty that holiness supplies. He’s working to complete you and get you ready to live in God’s holy presence forever (2 Thessalonians 1:5).
So, while you live out what remains of your days here on earth, may God be your strength and your hope. Very soon, now, you’ll "depart and be with Christ” forever and ever and ever. Then everything will be better by far.
“Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow” is the mantra for me as I linger. Again I say, who could ask for anything more?
David Roper
10.7.21
