Half my life

In a famous sonnet “On his blindness” poet Milton complains to God: Why have you afflicted my life with blindness even before I am fifty, even before half my life is over? I wished to write a long poem in English.

Now how can I do it since I have become blind?

His conscience gives him an answer: Milton’s God has many kinds of workers like the king; some of whose servants run here and there and doing the king’s biddings but there are others like the guards who stand still by the throne guarding the king.
These equally do the king’s work as the others who run round to do his bidding.

I know says patience to Milton, you have talents and you are bothered that all these talents including the one to write a long poem in English will go waste because you are blind and feel you cannot serve God with your talent and you would be found fault with for not utilizing your talent. “But they also serve who only stand and wait”.

Assured, he regained his poise and went on later, even though he was blind, to compose world famous epic poems in English: Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained and Samson Agonistes!

In the Bible also there is the story of King Hezekiah who is lying ill on his bed and to him comes the prophet Isaiah with a message from God that he is soon going to die and that he should put his house-hold in order.

The king turns to God in humble prayer and begs him an extension of his life, perhaps because he still has unfinished business in his kingdom.

He pleads with God: only half my life is over and you want me to die so soon. What use would my death be to you?

If I were to live on this earth, I could praise you night day but now you want me to die; I would go down to sheol, the underworld where there is no consciousness or praising etc. So only you would be the loser.

So God let me live a while longer and we are told that God was pleased with this simple child-like, even childish prayer wherein instead of thinking of himself he thought of God and the service he could if he were to live longer and God granted him an extension of 15 years to his life! (Cf. Is 38.1-20).

So my friend, why are you still alive on this earth and not dead? Why has God granted you a little longer life? Is it because you still have unfinished business?

Learn to live and work for others, not for yourself alone and God would let you live a little while longer so that you may praise him by doing good to others around you to the extent you can!

Heaven can wait but do the good you can while you are still able and God helps you to do it.