August 16, 2010

“Growing Old”

Blessings Saints!

Thanks for all the birthday greetings this past weekend.

My mom tells the story of how disappointed my paternal grandmother was that I did not wait another 90 minutes to be born. I would have then been born on her birthday. She was born today, 1895.

It is always interesting to reflect back through the decades and centuries.
We are not that far removed from what is often thought of as the distant past.

Wish you could have seen the look on my youngest daughter when she realized how old I am. She is 22, but apparently she thought that mom and dad are living in a time stasis apparatus. For a moment I saw a look of shock and…”is he getting old?” look. Cute, but sad that the reality of mortality raised its face.

We all have those moments of revelation.

Reflect upon the following after thinking through these questions.

What if you had unlimited money?
What if you had unlimited power?
What if you had unlimited sex?
What if you had the wisdom of God?

One would probably think that all problems would disappear.

Think again.

Solomon, second King of Israel, had all this.

Yet, read what he wrote… you will be familiar with a portion...this passage reveals what happens as one grows old…expressed in a poetic language...my comments are in parenthesis.

Ecclesiastes 12
 1 Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;
 
(The Preacher, as he calls himself, is saying to remember the Lord from your youth on… before you reach the problems of age...before you have no pleasure in the years)

2 While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain:

 3 In the day when the keepers of the house (hands) shall tremble, and the strong men (legs/back) shall bow themselves, and the grinders (teeth) cease because they are few, and those that look out (eyes) of the windows be darkened,

 4 And the doors (ears) shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding (digestion) is low (lack of appetite), and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird (insomnia), and all the daughters of musick (voice) shall be brought low;
 
5 Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, (afraid of falling/walking) and the almond tree shall flourish (the blossom of the almond tree is white/grey...grey hair), and the grasshopper shall be a burden, (small things are hard) and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets:

 6 Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern. (stuff is suffering the effect of the Second Law of Thermodynamics...stuff breaks! )
 
7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. (death)

 8 Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity.

Well that paints a rosy picture of growing old. LOL

So the Preacher accurately observes that as we age that things happen…

• hands shake
• legs and backs grow weaker
• teeth do not grind as well...fewer of them
• eye dim
• hearing fades
• appetite lessens
• voices warble
• material possessions age, fall apart
• etc. etc. etc.

Yet all is not loss.

I’ll give you a really, really encouraging word related to this tomorrow…

Today, read the balance of the chapter.

Solomon felt this way because he had strayed from the Lord.
His many wives (1,000 wives and concubines) led his heart away from the Lord.
(This does not mean he “lost his salvation.” It does mean he did not keep his eye upon the Lord.)

Still, the wisdom of the Lord in Solomon continued to be manifest.

9 And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs.
 
10 The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth.

 11 The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.

12 And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.

13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
 
14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

So what is the conclusion of the Preacher?

Fear God.
Keep God’s commandments.
This is the whole duty of man.

Why should we do this?

God will bring every work into judgment...that should rattle us.
Every secret thing.
Good.
Evil.

Fear God!
There is hope...we will look at it tomorrow…
Want to get a head start? Psalm 92.

Pray for the Edge/McAfee family in the home-going of matriarch Edna.
A wondrous time of sorrow, grief, joy and celebration of a long life well lived.

Blessings!