MY HANDS ARE AGING

 

I glanced over my cup of coffee this morning and noticed my hand. A new age spot! Oh boy! I love getting those. Yeah right! However, they are what they are. I cannot stop them nor can I prevent myself from dropping things and spilling salsa on every white or light colored blouse that I own (which now are multicolored blouses by the way). I have more pair of glasses than the dollar tree and still can’t keep up with them. Finally, I broke down last year and bought myself one of those large 7 day pill boxes that I fill up every Saturday morning and keep on the kitchen counter in site, where I will not forget to take them, as soon as I walk into the kitchen in the mornings. Every day, I feel myself decaying a little bit more. Dying is inevitable, but until that day comes when I will cross over into eternity and one day receive my new body, one that will not ever see corruption again, I am faced with what I have and it is up to me to make the best out of it. Not only does my body feel the pains and elements of aging, my mind too suffers. Maybe though, age is kinder to me than I think. If I will not wear my glasses, I can’t see the lines that run north, south, east and west on my face. I am finding that as I am aging, I am tempted more than ever not to care what people think. While some of those can be looked upon as a positive, I know that they offer me no excuse before the Lord in my actions. Though my hands are aging, my eyes are failing, I am exhorted in the scriptures to praise and serve the Lord, all the days of my life.

 

As I was pondering upon age today I was reminded of an elderly group of women with whom I am very close to and very, dear to my heart. They are quite older than I am and I have a world of respect for them. I spend time with these women every week and am very grateful for their godly influence on my life. They are not women of wealth, nor are they famous, they are however an example to me as wise women of faith, in which I regard more than any other thing on earth in a relationship. Most of us are drawn to those in our society that are successful and find some type of value in their opinions. We watch how they live and pay close attention to what they say and do. But too often we place our respect in the wrong things and by doing so we are tempted to value a person’s power and success with a worldly perspective. However, from a Biblical perspective, those characteristics take on a whole different meaning. Instead of wealth, power and success, we are told to honor and respect wisdom and understanding and pursue it through the knowledge of the older ones.

 

Elderly people were respected and accredited more in Biblical communities because of the years of experiences that they had accrued. Their understanding of the times, the seasons, and the forces of nature were crucial to the well-being and sustenance of each generation to come. Sadly, we’ve lost some of that in our world today. Our older people are set aside as being too old-fashioned and out of touch. The younger generation is no longer grouped with the teenagers, but today they are in their 20’s and 30’s and some even into their 40’s. The reason of that is because age does not make a person wise. It is the experience and willingness to set aside pride and be willing to listen and learn through the years that they have lived. However, many today are more into what’s happening now and who’s doing what amongst their peers, instead of listening to the garnered wisdom and collective understanding of our seniors.

 

 In our frantic effort to be relevant, we’ve unwisely ditched the best of our faith for the worst of our wants. If we honestly want to be a strong force and have an impact in our churches, families and communities, then we have to take time to give credence to the collective wisdom and understanding of those who have been faithful for decades before us, instead of constantly deferring to those whose  walk is just beginning. Change just for the sake of change often times leads to chaos and division, and you can end up being influenced in the wrong way. Choices made through wisdom and understanding, give us the power to be influential and have a real impact for Christ. There are many, many of our senior adults today just sitting waiting for someone to acknowledge their worth. Many struggle with guilt because they can no longer do as they once did. They want us to listen to them, ask their opinions, encourage their activity, whatever it may be. Psalm 63:4 says, “I will praise you as long as I live, and in Your name I will lift up my hands”. Or we could read it like this, “Even though my hands are aging, I will continue to lift them up in praise to You! For the older saint in the Lord, your hands may not look as they did in your former years, but they are power packed with wisdom and understanding and someone, somewhere needs you to reach out to them and share what you have learned. Never stop praising and serving the Lord sweet friend….no matter what your age is! God has something for you!

Loving on you today,

Bren