Just a few weeks after my husband’s funeral, a young friend stopped by the church to see me. She wondered why God would allow a godly man’s life to be cut short in the prime of ministry.
I’ll be honest; I had to pause to think about this for a minute, because I had wrestled with the same question.
It was natural to feel that Jeremy had been cheated out of the rest of his life. There was so much more he wanted to do—for God, for our family, for our community. Now, he wouldn’t get to see his girls grow up, teach them to drive, protect them from the evils of this world, or walk them down the aisle. He’d never have the chance to give his sons marital advice, officiate their weddings, or bounce grandkids on his knees. There was so much more he wanted to learn and so much more he could teach us. He didn’t get to enjoy the fruit of his labors. The new church building was so close to being completed and he had so patiently waited to preach in there. Now, he never would. He never got to visit Israel or write his book. He won’t get to grow old with the love of his life or do any of the other things we had dreamed and planned. It all seemed so unfair.
Then, God reminded me how backward my perspective can be.
So, I put on my “perspectacles” and looked at things from His point of view. And that’s what I shared in the church hallway that morning.
Jeremy didn’t get cheated.
Most people work hard their entire lives in order to retire one day. You put in the extra hours, save the money, pay down your loans, invest, contribute to a retirement account, etc., all, so that you can eventually stop working. But suppose the boss comes in one day, in the middle of a huge project, in the prime of your career, and says, “You’ve worked so hard and I’m so pleased with you that I’m going to offer you an early retirement. Everything will be provided for you to live out the rest of your days in the lap of luxury.” Are you going to say, “Oh, no. I couldn’t do that! I’ve got this project I need to finish and all the loose ends to tie up. I have another 40 years to slave away for you before I can think about enjoying my life!”? Of course you wouldn’t. You’d hand the office keys to your co-workers and eagerly accept your reward. So would I.
In the book of Philippians, Paul wrote, “To me, to live is Christ, but to die is gain.” He wanted to be with Jesus, but he knew his work on earth was not yet finished. It was for our good that Paul lived through shipwrecks, famine, stonings, beatings and even being left for dead. For us, and for the Kingdom of God.
My Jeremy had planned to work hard for the Kingdom until the very end of his life.
And he did.
The end came way earlier than anticipated, and much work was left for the rest of us to continue, but he accomplished what he ultimately set out to do. He served God all of his days and he finished strong. He entered into the joy of his Savior and I’m quite certain he heard, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” He is now basking in the sunshine of the face of the Creator and is thoroughly enjoying his reward. What’s more: his legacy is outliving him, because it was a Kingdom legacy.
Does that make us miss him any less? Hardly. Does that mean that I don’t sometimes feel cheated out of a lifetime with him? Again, no. I definitely do. Selfishly, I sometimes want him back so badly I can’t stand it. But that wouldn’t be fair to him. He finished his race, and he finished it well. He got an early retirement. As for me and my children? We have not been abandoned, because the God he served promised to be the Father to the fatherless and the Defender of the widow. Jeremy was merely a reflection of Him.
I may never fully understand why God chose this timing. From my human standpoint, it seems so premature. It seems so unfair. It seems like a mistake. But this I know: God makes no mistakes.
I also know that I still have work to do. I know that, because I’m still here. I don’t want to stand before the One Who died for me, having wasted my life. Time is short! Only what’s done for Christ will last.
I may get an early retirement, like my husband. I may not. Either way, I want to be ready. I want to hear “Well done.” I want to have no more regrets. I want to point people to Jesus. I want to make Heaven crowded. I want to have crowns to lay at my Savior’s feet.
Why did God take Jeremy home and leave us here? Because Jeremy’s work was finished and ours is not. Let’s do the work and let’s not squander whatever time we have left.
🩷 Audra
2/19/22
