(By an 80-year-old woman a friend knows)

Last night I woke and lay in bed
As countless thoughts ran through my head.

Why am I still here I pondered?
What use am I, old and worn out? I wondered.

MY youth is spent, my strength is gone.
I can do little for anyone.

IF loving is serving, and caring is giving,
then our duty and work are to look out for the living—

To share our possessions with others in need,
To love, and to pray for; To encourage, and lead.

But time is relentless--the years fly on the wind.
One day you wake up, and your life’s near the end.

You marvel at how fast the years have clustered and flown,
And you shake your head in amazement at how soon they are gone.

So what’s left for this body-what use is it now?
That depends on my purpose, my commitment, my vow

To be true to my calling to serve the Father and man;
To fight on in the spirit as long as I can.

To feed on the Word, and to live it with will.
To be at one with my Maker, His plan to fulfill.

And when my end comes, as surely it will,
And I rest with my husband on that sweet, quiet hill

We’ll silently wait for the promise God gave,
And at a shout and a trumpet we’ll rise from the grave!

No more life’s deceptions, no more aching and pain,
No more sin’s bitter sorrows ever again.

But a glorious future, God’s plan from above--
The life work of the Father for His children of love.

Why am I here now?  There’s still work to be done--
I’m an unfinished vessel—my battle’s not yet won!

My vanity and self-will are being put to the test—
My steadfast commitment, which I must never rest.

So if again I wake and wonder why it is that I don’t die,
Through God’s mercy and His wisdom--Now I know the reason why!