The Real Truth about Old Age

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." II Cor. 4:16-17


My outward man is perishing. I know it, I feel it in my bones. A new pain in my back seems to have made itself unwelcome, I can't keep up with the rapid pace at which my colored hair turns gray again, and most alarming of all, I've had little slips in my mind here and there. I hate to even admit it.

I think to myself, I don' t have the strength and vitality that I had even ten years ago. And I see my dear mother, who cries nearly every day about not being able to "get back" to where she was. She mourns it. But it's all a part of life, a life that can still be worthwhile, in spite of the fall of man in the garden and the subsequent curse.

 The above verse from II Corinthians tells me the real truth about old age. It does not have to be a b####. Our outward man perishes.The word for perish in the Greek lexicon is Strong's #1311, diaphtheiro. It means: to rot thoroughly, to ruin, corrupt, destroy, perish.

A seemingly unpleasant thought: we all have an appointment with death (unless we're  part of the Rapture generation). I recently read a classic book about the Civil War  called House Divided.  Over and over it described battlefields where bodies rotted and left a stench. How they suffered  in that "rich man's war."

I never really thought about the horror of the battlefield. But our very life is a battle, a battle with sin and death. When we accept Christ as our Savior, we get the great privilege of sharing  His great victory over it. He graciously removed its bitterness  and took away its stinger.

"O Death, where is your sting?
O Hades, where is your victory?" I Cor. 15:55

If I grow in grace and knowledge of Him I don't have to fear death, or even fear old age. One time I snapped a picture of my aged father with his head held back, and eyes closed as he listened to my sister play Christmas music on her violin. I calligraphied a verse for him along with the photo:

"Even to your old age, I am He,
And even to gray hairs I will carry you!
I have made, and I will bear,
Even I will carry, and I will deliver you." Isaiah 46:4

Old age is a part of God's plan. Paul says our life is a light affliction. How could he say that when he was stoned, whipped, imprisoned, shipwrecked, hunted down as a criminal and ended up with his head in a basket? We must conclude then that cancer, heart disease, strokes and broken bones and even broken minds can be just a light affliction. If we take His great salvation, this magnificent promise helps us endure and even flourish through all of life's trials.

We talked about the brevity of  life yesterday. Dad reminded us we're already in eternity, even here and now. When we cross over from this life to the next, we'll realize our entire time here was just a tiny speck on an endless line. That makes life, pain, and suffering bearable. We are only strangers passing through.

A Mother's Musing...

"Oh fear the LORD, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing. Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD. Psalm 34:9-11

This is my first mother's day as both a mother and grandmother. It is precious to visit with my new little grandsons. As I think about my own years as a mother, I did not realize then how quickly they would pass. Even though I am still in middle age, it seems each year passes by faster than the one before. I bumped into an old neighbor of mine at the store today. It seemed like just yesterday they moved, but it was thirteen years already.

I had the blessing of going for a mother's day brunch a day early today with my son and his family. It makes my eyes well up with tears at times, for when I do pay a visit, it reminds me that already so much of life has passed. I remember my son as a little boy, but now a man. I remember with joy my happy times as a mother, but I do have regrets too.

If only I would have realized how short a time I really would have my kids, I would have done things differently. Most importantly, I would have liked to show them a mother that did not waver in her faith. I wasted a lot of time fretting, time that could have been spent showing them how great God was, and how much He could be trusted.

Reading God's Word every day for myself has bolstered my faith.I wish I would have done it back then. I wish I would have read it to them every day. It is the only reliable thing we have in the universe. Just today I read an incredible verse about the Truth of His Word:

"The entirety of Your word is truth, And every one of your righteous judgments endures forever." Ps. 119:160

That Word alone could have saved me so much grief, just to believe it and demonstrate it before their little watching eyes.The years are gone now, and I won't live in regrets, but hopefully maybe someone who reads this may learn from my mistake.

In years past, I disliked the book of Ecclesiastes because it seemed depressing, but now it makes such good sense. Solomon had everything he could possibly want from this world, but he realized at the end of his life it was all vanity and chasing after wind. All the accolades of men, all the accomplishments, all the pride of life really meant nothing in the big picture.

As Solomon comes to the end of the book, he gives some great advice to the young, something I tried to teach my children. He says in Eccles. 12:1: "Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, Before the difficult days come..."

I always took that to mean that if one is receptive and open to the LORD as a child, it is easier for them to stay on the path of faith, while if you harden your heart, it only becomes more and more difficult to believe when you get older.

At the end of the book, and at the end of Solomon's life, he concludes by saying this:

"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man's all." (Eccles. 12: 13)

So,how does this all have to do with being a mother? Well, I guess what I am trying to say is I would not have fretted so much about the little details of life, but focused more on showing faith and teaching my children the only thing that will outlast this universe, God's Word.

"Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away." Matthew 24:35

"...All flesh is as grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, Because the breath of the LORD blows upon it. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever." Is.40:6-8

I would have focused on what David said: "Come you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD." (Ps. 34:11) I especially would have emphasized how much the Heavenly Father loved them and cared for them.

"So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." Psalm 90:12

In tribute to my loving neighbor...

A neighbor friend of ours that moved away back in the 70's graduated to Glory on Sunday after a long battle with liver cancer. Yet I remember her as if I had seen her yesterday. And I have comfort... comfort because I know I will see her again.

The year was 1974. I was in the dreaded 4th grade at a school I hated. My neighbor, Mrs. P was there at the bus stop the first day of school when I alighted off the bus, tears rolling down my face. As we came up the hill to where our houses stood side by side she told my mother, "There's only one sad tail here... " Nobody else seemed to mind our new school, but I did. I knew I was in for a rough year.

Mr and Mrs. P were of Greek origin and had four beautiful daughters, whom we played with. They also had a little collie dog named Raindrop who would run around the yard barking as we frolicked outside til it was dark. She and my Mom would sit with their lawn chairs in the front yard chatting away while their husbands worked at stressful jobs, bringing home the bacon.

But the thing I remember most about Mrs. P was that she took the time to open up her house for the kids of the neighborhood to host a Child Evangelism Fellowship- "Good News Club" for all the kids in the neighborhood. My sister reminded me that they moved all the furniture out of their family room so all the kids could cram in. We had Bible stories on flannel board, songs that we sang every week, Bible verses that we would memorize, and a snack. If we memorized our verses, we would get a New Testament.

I was in the midst of the traumatic fourth grade year, and was already well established in my habit of being a worrier. I used to tell Mrs. P my worries and she would listen to me and reassure me. The day came when I had memorized all of them. She presented me with a New Testament called The Greatest is Love, if I recall correctly. In it she wrote a special verse for me:

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication
with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace
of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds
through Christ Jesus." Philippians 4: 6-7


Someone cared enough to take the time to intervene in the life of a child. How I remember that! How thankful I am for that! Well, the P's moved away back in the 70's, and I lost all touch with them. Somehow my sister started getting Christmas newsletters from them and one time about a year or so ago I got their address. I wrote Mrs. P, and thanked her for having that club, and for caring about me so many years ago.

Her girls got in touch with me and told me that letter meant a lot to her. They have kept us updated as both parents have been quite sick. I sent her one more card a couple weeks before she died. I hope she heard the message.

When I got the news yesterday, I had already been upset by some other long standing issues but it reminded me: Life is brief. If you love someone, tell them now. We all are as dust, a vapor blowing in the wind. I can rejoice because I know where Mrs. P is now. She trusted Jesus to be her Savior, her firm Rock, her only ticket to heaven. She stood on the Solid Rock.

While everything in this world crumbles around us, will you stand on the Solid Rock too? Believe that He did all the work for your salvation today and call upon His name today.