Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me.
In the book of Philippians, Paul is writing about the internal struggle he is having between his deep desire to depart this life and be with Christ (which he acknowledges as far superior to this life) and his duty to stay and lead others (including the Philippians) to faith in Christ. He paints the picture of a guy completely torn, as if pulling his hair out in both directions as he says in verse 22, “Yet what shall I choose? I do not know!”. I picture Paul pacing back and forth in room, tugging at his hair, talking through the pros and cons of each, completely torn between desire and obligation. In the text above he comes to the realization that while he would love nothing more than to depart to be with his Savior, his work in this life is not complete. He decides that if he must resort to the less desired position of remaining in this life, then he will use that role to reflect Christ. He is committed to living his life in a way that when others are in his presence, their joy in Christ will “overflow”. He is not elevating himself above others, boasting, or inflating his ego as if to say, “I am so great that just being around me brings you closer to God.” Rather it’s as if he is saying, “My love for Christ is so incredibly deep that I want it to be present in every fabric of my being…I want it to overflow to those around me…not for my benefit, but so that all may come to know this incredible Savior that I know!” Is there any greater role that we could take in our lives? What an incredible opportunity it would be to truly reflect the Lord…to actually live our lives in a way that turns people to the Lord! If we lived with such genuine love, deep compassion, unyielding kindness, and unwavering discipline that others would take note…and when they seek out a reason why we live this way, we simply point to the Lord…”Because of him…because of what he has done for me…what he has given me…because of my love for him”. We each have an opportunity to decide how to use the years we are given, and much like Paul, we will not always get what we truly desire. But we can make great use of what we are given by reflecting the Lord in our lives, shining the light on him, and leading others to discover the greatness of Christ that we have found. To God be the glory!
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