Thoughts On Aging

These are thoughts that I was having on September 10, 2002 --

Tonight I am thinking of the aged and the aging.

We know that we are to honor, to value, to respect, and to emulate our elders -- especially the dear Christians who have given so much love, time, prayers, money and of themselves to and for us.

But we also have to admit that we become confused, frustrated, hurt, and angry sometimes because we don't know how to properly care for them and we don't understand their concerns and their fears.

Someone said today of a loved one, "he is no longer living the life of faith that we were always used to seeing." And we knew exactly what this friend meant, for we saw Wayne's Dad become more preoccupied with the security (financially) that he could provide in the workplace vs the ministry. It was a great disappointment to us when he left the pastorate.

Of course, he never lost his love for the Lord, His Word, and His Church. But we couldn't help but feel that he settled for second best in areas of his life (and we have, too).

May God grant us patience and an extra measure of love and understanding for our elderly loved ones. And may we remember we will "be there" before we know it!

Addenda added on September 1, 2017:

Fifteen years have passed since I wrote those words. And, we are "there" ourselves. We have watched ourselves losing abilities that we took for granted. We are more fragile physically. We don't move about as quickly as we once did. Every task takes more time and energy than ever. We forget things and have to retrace our steps more often than we once did.

We find ourselves thinking more and more about the changes that may come into our lives very quickly. When one of us dies, what kinds of decisions will the other have to make? We talk about it and are pondering some possible changes even now.

But . . . "we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.  For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,  as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal."  -- 2 Corinthians 4:16-18