I saw it a couple of months ago, and you probably have too at one point or another. There's something in us that wants to hold on to what we have on this earth. My uncle passed away a couple of months ago, and after the graveside service, I saw a man slip up to the casket, and slowly run his fingers along the cold edge of the coffin. He did so tentatively. Pensively.

What is it within is that longs to hold on to this Earth? There's something about death that just seems so, final. So much the end. A true point of beginning an everlasting, but an everlasting what? Maybe it is this sense of uncertainty that causes us to pause when faced by the garish strut of eternity into our lives.

But the whole discussion hinges on this one point, your worldview. How a Christian views the unknowns of eternity is entirely different from that of the non-Christian. For the Christian, "to live is Christ, and to die is gain." We are in a win-win situation. But it's sometimes difficult to keep this focus in times of loss or hurt. Sometimes we may wish for one more than the other depending on our circumstances. But I'm really not sure that Paul would want this tension between the two to be our focus. Rather, I believe he would rather our focus instead be on one thing, finding and doing the will of God right now, where we're at. Let God handle the "to live is Christ" or the "to die is gain" part of the matter on His own. We're really not in a position to advise Him anyway.

When our surrender is complete; when the decision has been made; when our commitment has been pledged; does it really matter which one He chooses? Is this idealistic? Maybe. But if so, then in a good way. In the end, living or dying, we are surrendered. Our will has been sacrificed long ago to His. The decision is not ours to make, so why not live fully engaged in the moment God has decided to allow us to serve in, and leave the next moments up to Him?

Tags: Seraching