Abiding For Others' Sake

Neville's Inner Vision

Within Paul’s line is not a physical quarrel but a shift of inner life. 'Depart to be with Christ' represents the soul’s yearning to merge with the inner Christ—the I AM that never changes. Yet Paul also says it is better to 'abide in the flesh' for others, which signals that your present inner state can serve loved ones by remaining active in this world. Neville would say the two desires are two facets of the same conscious being: one facet imagines union as a completed state; the other insists on fulfilling responsibility from the place of that union. The 'strait betwixt two' is a mental tug-of-war, not a geographical place. When you align with the I AM, the outer life becomes the natural expression of that inner reality, and attempts to depart recede into the perception that all departure is only a shift in consciousness, not a geographical move. Thus the 'better' is not a future escape but a present inner alignment that makes all service available and effective.