Aging Gracefully

Scripture

Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor Him in your youth before you grow old and say, “Life is not pleasant anymore.” 

~Ecclesiastes 12:1, NLT

Quote

The aging process can be meet with foolishness by the young and old alike.

~Soren Kiekegaard

Solomon’s wisdom in chapter twelves is pretty simply, be wise in your youth and you will have far less regrets in your old age. Old age is tough without regrets; you don’t want to make it any harder than it already is. I have some regrets and they wake me up in the morning from time to time but it could be a lot worse. I don’t regret serving the LORD but I have made a few bad choices, especially in business. The fewer regrets we take in to the retirement years, the better. You have to read Ecclesiastes 12 in a modern translation to understand what Solomon is talking about: the NLT is excellent. Solomon is talking about the problems that we face as we grow older. Solomon exhorts us to remember our CREATOR before…

  • The light of the sun, moon, and stars is dim to your old eyes, and rain clouds continually darken your sky. 
  • Your legs start to tremble; and your shoulders stoop.
  • Your teeth—your few remaining—stop grinding; and your eyes grow dim.
  • The door to life’s opportunities is closed and the sound of work fades. 
  • You become fearful of falling and worry about danger in the streets
  • Your hair turns white like an almond tree in bloom, and you drag along without energy like a dying grasshopper.
  • The caperberry no longer inspires sexual desire.
  • Your next stop in the grave yard and your memorial service.
  • Yes Remember your Creator now while you are young, before the silver cord of life snaps and the golden bowl is broken. Don’t wait until the water jar is smashed at the spring and the pulley is broken at the well. (The silver cord and the golden bowl are the neurological aspects, the spine and the brain. The spring and the pump the respiratory system. In either case, probably referring to a stroke or heart attack)

I have no idea what the caperberry is, you are going to have to look that one up yourself. Lou Hayes is 89 and I am 69. Lou is always telling me that I don’t know what old is and I believe her but I can tell you there is a big difference between 59 and 69. I can’t imagine the difference between 69 and 89. Twice this past Sunday my left leg gave away. The only thing that kept me from falling down was a bench that I was near and I reached out and grabbed it. My knee just buckled. I sat there a few minutes and walked away but it made me think. I got inside the church building and got a catch in my ankle. I walked around like Chester Good during fellowship but by the time the service was over, I was fine. Not being able to see without glasses and sometime with is a minor inconvenience and so is not being able to hear. I still hear a lot I don’t want to hear but some of our Senior Adults are dealing with some serious issues and they have my sympathy. In what little I have faced, I can tell you, aging is not for sissies. Mrs. Martha Newby use to say, “Jack, I don’t see anything golden about the golden years.” Find a Senior Adult and love on them today.

  • Joe David did a great job at the Pastor’s conference. I was very proud of him and you can be proud of him also. He represents DBC well.
  • Angela Segars had back surgery yesterday: I plan to check on her today. PTL, I got a few things done yesterday but more on the agenda today. The DIGEST is #1.

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