The Unseen Life, Part 19

​When we hurriedly returned home from our overseas assignment to be with my mother, who was coping with early-stage Alzheimer’s at the time, we immediately sent out feelers to one of our closest friends who was a budding estate agent. Within a fortnight, a small apartment, in ‘move-in condition,’ came to our notice. We tentatively placed a deposit for its purchase at our first viewing. At the time, our principal concern was where would the apartment’s purchase money come from? Most Singaporean couples would normally lean on their pension fund to finance their public housing. Having worked abroad for most of my adult life then, my local retirement fund was minimal. Therefore, my wife’s pension fund bore the brunt of the financing. That left an outstanding sum exceeding US$25,000. Although it is not a substantial sum in today’s environment, having just arrived home then, and without a job, it became a mountain! 
 
A couple of days on completion of the apartment’s purchase, an exact sum of the above-mentioned balance was anonymously credited to our bank account. No one knew of our impending purchase, except for our estate agent. He claimed he did not have the resources to meet that amount. Besides, no one had details of our bank account to be able to process that transfer. To this day, the mysterious donor remains unknown! Nevertheless, we are thankful for God’s provision which redeemed us from our indebtedness. Once we were settled, we moved my mother in.
 
At the time of the purchase, part of the estate which housed our apartment block was scheduled to be demolished within ten years. This piece of information was not in the public domain. When the time came for its repossession by the housing authority, we were allocated a larger apartment in a recently built estate right in the centre of a nearby town. The icing on the cake – it was fully financed by the surrender of our old flat. Furthermore, generous government grants supplemented its renovation and outfitting. When we moved into our new home, mother was already wheelchair-bound, and unlike the earlier flat, it has no uneven floor area that would have impeded movement for her. The apartment is also within a stone’s throw to a large polyclinic, two supermarkets, two hawker food centres, a mall, a public library and a swimming pool. What more could we ask for? 
 
God kept His faithful promise when He instructed us to dispose of our prior smaller apartment before our overseas assignment, over two decades ago. We are very thankful for a temporal roof over our heads during this interregnum of our journey. Hence, not unlike the prior property, we hold this present ‘possession’ lightly, as in a trust on His behalf.
 
Scripture repeatedly emphasizes the transient nature of our earthly passage (Heb 11: 13; Job 14: 5; James 4: 14; 2 Cor 5:1; Ps 90), urging believers to focus on eternal values rather than perennial worldly concerns. The demise of the material human frame is a certainty, and hence, it would be wise to learn to relinquish our persistent preoccupation with what is finite. The sad fact is that we only learn to number our days when perhaps a sudden serious illness strikes us, or old age catches up. Given the time-based nature of this world, the Bible teaches us to focus not on what is seen and transient, but on what is unseen and eternal (2 Cor 4:18). Consequently, learning to possess a less worldly-driven mindset daily may aid us to refocus on eternal values! Christians are encouraged to view themselves as “citizens of heaven” (Philippians 3:20), living in the world but not being of it, as our ultimate home is not here, but with God in eternity. 
 
How then should we live? Since life is short and judgment follows death (Hebrews 9:27), the Bible calls us to be reconciled with God through faith in Christ. Jesus offers eternal life to all who believe in Him (John 3:16, John 10:28). Therefore, instead of living for temporary pleasures or possessions, we are encouraged to invest in things of eternal worth — such as loving God, serving others, and living out the teachings of Christ. Good works do not save us, but they do have eternal significance and will be rewarded by God (Matthew 16:27). We are also called to represent Christ, living in a way that reflects our heavenly citizenship, bringing glory to God; making each day count, using our time wisely and living with hope for the “city which is to come” (Hebrews 13:14). Suffering and trials are put into perspective by the promise of a future glory with Christ (Romans 8:18). Believers are to resist being shaped by worldly values and instead be transformed by God’s Word and Spirit, as our hope and security are not found in the things of this world, but in the promise of eternal life through Jesus Christ. Accordingly, of paramount importance presently is to cultivate an ongoing relationship with our God.