Do You Want to live to be a hundred? No, said 63% of respondents to a survey conducted by the American Association of Retired Persons. Only 27% said yes. Yet those living to a hundred or more are in the fastest-growing segment of the population. So just what should a life span be? The Encyclopedia Britannica reports that life spans range "from one day for the mayfly to thousands of years for the bristlecone pine." And "the longest-lived mammal appears to be the human" with a maximum life span believed to be between 115 and 150 years.

Fear of deteriorating health, being dependent on a nursing home, and other changes sometimes associated with age were the main reasons given for not wanting to live too long. Yet, should we expect limitations? Does a roll of the dice determine whether our advancing years will be full of misery or full of achievement?

The Bible tells of people who lived much longer than today's predicted maximum life span. And the lives of Enoch, Elijah, and Christ Jesus actually illustrate the promise of eternal life. Enoch "pleased God," and his faith saved him from seeing death (see Heb. 11:5). Elijah, a prolific healer, ascended into heaven without passing through death (see II Kings 2:11). The ultimate proof comes from Christ Jesus, who not only was resurrected after his crucifixion, but later ascended into heaven.

Jesus brought healing and better lives to those of all ages. He restored life on a number of occasions, and he taught, "If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death" (John 8:51). The length of one's physical life was not his primary concern. He understood that our true identity is spiritual and coexistent with our Father-Mother, God, and thus eternal. Life is as eternal as God is, and does not begin at birth or end at death. Understanding this overcomes the fear that bad things might happen if we live too long on his earth.

Jesus gave us a road map to achieving the ultimate in joy and healing in his answer to a rich young man who was searching for the secret of eternal life. Jesus told him he needed to keep the Commandments. When the young man explained that he was already doing that, Jesus felt genuine love for him and said, "One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me" (Mark 10:21). To me, he was saying, "Give up your trust in material riches. I am the way to life without death. You cannot buy your way into heaven." Only through unconditionally and wholeheartedly accepting Christ into your heart can you achieve the peace and confidence you seek. Doing so reveals that the key issue is how you live your life, not the number of years assigned to human existence.

If we understand, as Jesus did, that the divine Mind, God, is the only life and intelligence—the source of all that we can correctly know of ourselves and our universe—we will neither fear death nor look forward to it. We will understand that because we are God's children, made in His likeness, a flesh and bones body tells us nothing of our true identity The likeness of Mind, God, is spiritual, not material. It cannot fade into oblivion with the passing of years. God's man does not return to dust, for he never was made of matter. God is our Life and sub stance.

The blessings of this spiritual understanding may seem to come in small ways, but they do add up. If we scoff at minor steps of spiritual progress, we will miss the big ones. Some time back, the idea that life is eternal helped me overcome impatience while waiting to hear about a decision that was very important to me. I remembered, too, a news story about the Apollo 11 space flight—the first flight that landed astronauts on the moon. One task of the mission was to obtain geological information so that scientists could estimate the age of the rocks on the moon. Even if they were wrong by half a billion years, the information would still be useful. Imagine that. An error of half a billion years making little difference, and I thought my few months' wait was a long time. What is a human lifetime compared to a half billion years? In that context, the longest recorded life span of a human isn't even a speck in eternity.

This insight not only helped me overcome the immediate impatience but has contributed to virtually eliminating my fear of the future. The passage of time has little meaning anymore. To some small degree, I saw the truth in this statement by Mary Baker Eddy: "The relinquishment of all faith in death and also of the fear of its sting would raise the standard of health and morals far beyond its present elevation, and would enable us to hold the banner of Christianity aloft with unflinching faith in God, in Life eternal" (Science and Health, p. 426).

Whether we live to 90, 100, or beyond 110 is unimportant. In God's plan for His children, the years on a calendar mean nothing. God knows us as coexisting with Him forever—spiritual and perfect, just as He is. God's child has no beginning, no growth and maturity followed by decline and death. Taking up the cross and following Christ, as Jesus instructed the rich young man, is the key to understanding this, but we should not get impatient. Mrs. Eddy explains, "The achievement of this ultimatum of Science, complete triumph over death, requires time and immense spiritual growth" (Unity of Good, p. 43).

We can all do better at achieving the spiritual growth needed to overcome deterioration and to demonstrate eternal life in God, and we can expect to succeed. Whatever we accomplish, however, our efforts contribute to the day when triumph over death is more common and we no longer ask how long we should live.