In light of eternity

Do you ever feel like growing older isn't really fair? As I sat in Bible study at church yesterday, these and other thoughts were interrupting my listening to the pastor. At that point in the lesson, we were discussing these verses: 

For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us.

Romans 8:22-23 NLT

That part, "we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering," is about being in pain, being sick, growing old, and the pastor was making the point that when we are suffering like that, maybe with something like cancer or constant pain, that we might be tempted to say, "I thought you loved me, God. I've served you my whole life. Why are you doing this to me?"

And, in my head, I was off, thinking about things God has already taught me. Well -- is teaching me. Will continue to be teaching me. 

Not that long ago, I was feeling pretty blue. My grown children were having adventures, and I was kind of jealous. (still am, in all honesty) Their whole lives were still ahead of them, and mine was mostly past. At that moment, getting old didn't seem fair. So, why is that the way it is? 

And, of course, God reminded me that He didn't create us to die. We humans did that to ourselves.

Of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.

Genesis 2:17

And that is why Jesus had to come to earth - to live and die in our place, so that we could be forgiven for that original sin and all the ones each one of us commit. And one day, He will undo all the damage we're wrought on this earth and will make it perfect again. 

Which brings us back to the verse from Bible study - longing for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. And that's how God uses our dying bodies for good - to long for the day when we will be released. When all creation will be released. If all was perfect, if we were always young and strong, what reason would we have to long for something better? What reason would we have to feel the need to get right with God? 

So, I have accepted that in this fallen world, with these fallen bodies, that getting old is literally part of God's plan for us. From His perspective, this little time on earth is the merest blip, not even the blink of an eye, compared for what He has in mind for us. In light of eternity, our time of feeling old and useless is nothing. For the day will come - maybe soon - when corruption puts on incorruption. 

 So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption.  It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power.  

1 Corinthians 15:42-43

Photo credit: https://christskingdom.org/articles/heaven-jesus-believers-new-glorified-body/

So, knowing what awaits, we can (should, at least), be patient with these failing bodies. So, that is not my issue. I accept that that is the way it is, so that is not what my mind was occupied with yesterday. No, I was thinking more of the useless part. We were in Romans, and 15 years ago, I had written an overview of the whole Bible, with a little bit on each book, and I had a couple of sentences on Romans. 15 years ago, Romans was so familiar to me that I could summarize it for my Bible study ladies without a lot of effort. Yesterday, I literally couldn't remember what I had said about Romans. 

Yeah, so? Many of my friends, when I make some kind of comment like that will respond that they have trouble remembering why they came into a room, let alone something they wrote 15 years ago. The point is not that I couldn't remember what I had said. The point is that yesterday, given the same opportunity to summarize Romans in a couple of sentences, I couldn't do it. 

I sat there, with the Pastor's voice an unheard buzz in the background, while I tried to summarize Romans in my head. I couldn't do it. That book used to be so familiar to me, and now, I can barely remember what is in Romans and what isn't. How am I supposed to be useful to God like this?

And, I remind myself, yet again, that God created me for a purpose. I've written about that before: Work that only you can do and I'll surely write on it again. I can't be alone. There must be other believers out there who used to feel more useful than they currently do. But, as I continually tell myself, God knew I would get to this point, and He still has a purpose for me in being here, or He would have found a way to call me home. Since He has not, there is still work for me to do. No, it obviously is not the same work as before, but it is still important, and He still means for me to do it. 

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Ephesians 2:10

NOTE: None of this is about working to earn my right to heaven. In that regard, our only work is to believe that Jesus has already done it all for us, and even that, the Holy Spirit works in us to believe that.

I don't like getting old, and I am still jealous of my daughters, with their lives ahead of them. But, in light of eternity, all of it, literally ALL of it, is nothing. In light of eternity, it doesn't matter how old you are, whether you lead an adventurous life or go exciting places. All that matters is knowing Jesus and trusting Him as your savior. If you are right with God, you are exactly where you are supposed to be. As Paul says, "Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord." (Philippians 3:8)

In light of eternity, this tiny blip of a life is truly nothing. 

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard,
    and no mind has imagined
what God has prepared
    for those who love him.”

1 Corinthians 2:9   

And while here, there is still work for me to do. 😁 

Finish the work

Obviously, I've been doing a lot of things besides writing this blog. Lately, I've been outside pretty much all day, every day. Yesterday, it was supposed to start raining at some point in the afternoon. I decided to see how much I could get done in the garden before the rain came. By this time, it was almost 4:00, and that was when the front was supposed to come through.

I grabbed a pail, and a pair of scissors (to cut stinging nettle to make quiche), a package of purple bean seeds to plant, and my trusty shovel that's been a constant companion this spring. As you can see in the picture, three of my squares are not only not planted, but I haven't even dug in the compost, yet. It was my plan to ready another square for planting.

As I stood in the garden, softening up the bean square soil with my hand, the wind started to howl. Our property has many basswoods, which really catch the wind because they are so tall. They stand as sentinels behind my vegetable garden and nearby food forest. I love the wind, so I look up, and the light behind the trees has that "going to storm" look to it. It's all wild and wonderful, and suddenly I have one of those "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening" kind of moments.

We live in the country, and I'm usually talking to God out loud while I work, asking Him about what to plant where and telling Him that something is pretty, and whatever. No one can hear me, and it's just become what I do outside. So, that's normal, but asking Him to speak back is not typical for me. For one thing, I'm just too afraid that my imagination would take over and put words in my head.

There have been a couple of occasions in my life when I've heard God speak loud and clear, literally like someone speaking in the room. There have been a handful of times when I've heard God speak in my soul or my head or whatever you want to call it, and I knew that I knew that I knew that it was Him, and even had it confirmed later that yes, it really had been. (If you've experienced that, you know what I mean) There have been times when God spoke and I had no idea that it had been Him until afterward. And, there have been many times when I heard a whisper that was so light that I am just not sure. Was that God? Was that me? There are times when it didn't matter, because the words were scripture from the Bible. But, if it wasn't from the Bible, was it really God? Speaking to me in a gentle whisper?? Yesterday, was one of those times.

So, I'm in garden, looking up at the tossing trees, and that light that says a storm is coming, the wind whipping my face, and I say, "Speak, Lord. Talk to me." And immediately, "Hurry" comes into my head. Hurry? With the garden? So, just in case, I stop with the beans and go cut my stinging nettle, because we're going to have that for supper. That done, I get ready to plant my purple beans, and while I do that, I'm talking out loud to God. "Was that You, Lord? Hurry? Are you just caring about me not getting wet?"

I'm bent over, popping beans into the soil, and into my head comes, "Finish the work. You have less time than you think you have."

I stand up and look at the sky. "Lord? Is that really You? This isn't about the garden, then? If that's really You, could you please confirm this somehow?"

Now, in the immediate, I certainly did have less time than I thought I had. I hadn't started digging the new square for planting, and in fact, I wasn't even done with the beans when the rain started. I hurried then! I needed to finish the beans before I got soaked.

As I ran to the house, I'm thinking about those words. It really didn't feel like me talking to myself, because why would I say that? "FINISH THE WORK. YOU HAVE LESS TIME THAN YOU THINK YOU HAVE." If it was God, what did it mean? Is my personal time nearly up? Is the world's time nearly up? And if it was God, what work did He mean?

So, I get in the house, and I'm praying for confirmation of some sort, but none came - nothing big and flashy, any way. As the evening progressed, I remembered something that J.D. Farag had said. (My paraphrase of it) "If you knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that Jesus was calling you home tomorrow, what would you do differently today?" I think he was speaking of the rapture, but it could also be our personal "Judgment Day" at any time.

So, I realized that whether that was truly God or just my conscience, it is true. We all have work to do, that God designed for us - and us for it.

For we are God's handiwork,

created in Christ Jesus to do good works,

which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Ephesians 2:10

And we always have less time than we think we have. So, what work for me, specifically? I guess I will be praying about that. Maybe I'm supposed to write more, here. I've used the excuse that my brain doesn't work so well these days, but God will supply what I need, if this is part of what He wants me to do. I haven't written a word here since November, but somehow, in the last month, people from Russia, Egypt, Bangladesh, Israel and six other countries have found my posts. No idea if I helped anyone. That's in God's hands. 

So, were these words are really from God? Finish the work. You have less time than you think you have - and if they were from God, is it just me that has less time or all of us?

I don't know. But, a reminder that we, as believers, are each still here for a reason. In any case, I like how the New Living Translation puts John 9:4: 

We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us

by the one who sent us.

The night is coming, and then no one can work.

John 9:4

Time to get to work! Help me, Lord, to stay on your path, in the center of your will, and help me to do whatever work You'd have me finish in the time I have. 

P.S. If those words were from God, I really don't want it to mean a personal "time is short," but all my days are written in God's book, and I know that all His plans for me are good. I am trusting that my sins are forgiven, because Jesus paid for them on the cross. And because He lives, I will also, forever and ever with Him.