2 Corinthians 4:16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.

I have quoted verse 17 more times than I could count, but not this one so much. However, at 76 I have a great appreciation for it! I think it should be posted on the wall of every Christian nursing home and retirement home. It is a fact of life that these “tents” we inhabit wear out, to use Paul’s analogy from chapter 5 of this same letter. (2 Corinthians 5:1, 4) However, as he says here, we shouldn’t let that drag us down. Those who have no hope of eternity with Christ get very involved with keeping up the externals, often spending lots of money, if they have it, on plastic surgery and the like. How foolish, and sad, really. I frankly wouldn’t want to be in this body for eternity! However, like Paul says here, I am grateful and at times excited for the various ways God continues to grow my “inner man.” I’m certainly not perfect, but it’s encouraging to recognize growing patience, discernment, and gratitude. Interestingly, people often comment on “how young I seem.” Part of that is flattery, I’m sure, but what truth there is comes from the fact that I haven’t given up on anything. I am indeed remarkably healthy for my age, but that’s with the awareness that God could call me home at any moment. However, that awareness excites me rather than scares me. As the next verse says, I know that the glory that awaits me will make every trial I experience in this life be totally trivial by comparison. I have been present for the death of people from a toddler to advanced age, and I am very aware that these bodies are temporary. And that’s fine! I think that if our bodies were immortal we would have a whole raft of other problems and temptations that I don’t care to think about. I have read science fiction novels that posited lifespans in the hundreds of years, potentially indefinitely renewable, but they don’t seem to express the wisdom that should come with age! We’re back to the whole question of priorities and values. When we’re in love with this world, this life, we totally miss eternity. (1 John 2:15) We are to be grateful for, and make full use of, our time in this world, but we must remember that it is no more than a prelude for the full symphony that God has planned for us.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You again for the joy of leading a 99-year-old woman to welcome Jesus into her heart just before Christmas. I look forward to conducting her funeral! Thank You for the privilege of sharing Your Gospel with all who will receive it, for their eternal salvation and Your glory. May that happen more and more! Hallelujah!