AGING BUT FRUITFUL

I read a post on FB this morning, written by a Pastor’s wife, her husband turned 85 this this week, and within the post is this poem, which really blest me and after googling see it was written by Helen Steiner Rice, I thought I would record it here and write a post on aging.

You can’t HOLD BACK THE DAWN”

Or “STOP THE TIDES FROM FLOWING” –

Or ‘KEEP A ROSE FROM WITHERING”

Or “STILL A WIND THAT IS BLOWING” –

And TIME CANNOT BE HALTED

in its SWIFT and ENDLESS FLIGHT

For AGE is sure to follow YOUTH

and DAY comes after NIGHT ….

For He who sets our span of years

and watches from above

Replaces youth and beauty

with PEACE and TRUTH and LOVE ….

And then our souls are privileged

to see a “HIDDEN TREASURE”

That in our youth escaped our eyes

in OUR PURSUIT OF PLEASURE …..

So BIRTHDAYS are but BLESSINGS

that open up the way

To the EVERLASTING BEAUTY

of GOD’S ETERNAL DAY.

When I was a child someone who reached the age of seventy was (to me) very OLD, now it is not uncommon for people to die in their eighties and nineties. I will turn seventy seven I an few months and I must confess I feel OLD, I suppose partly because I have some health issues plus the reality is our bodies start to wear out, and we start to experience aches and pains, A Pastor’s wife who we have known for many years and was with her husband a member in a church I pastored, and then I taught in Bible College later, had been a nurse and she expressed aging like this to me recently. WHEN AGING STARTS ITS BRINGS A LOT OF FRIENDS WITH IT. How true that is.

I think I may have written a blog sometime ago about the fact that I was complaining (regularly) about aging, and felt the Lord rebuke me with that Scripture in 1 Thess. 5:18 NKJV In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. The MESSAGE says in verses 16-18 Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.

EVERYTHING that is what the Bible says, so it includes the aging process. I repented but sadly I have had to repent a few times since then as well.

The Bible has a lot to say about aging (especially the Psalmist) and I will quote a few here that are real favourites of mine. Psalm 37:25 NKJV. I have been young, and now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken.
MESSAGE I once was young, now I’m a graybeard—not once have I seen an abandoned believer, or his kids out roaming the streets.
I can say a big AMEN to that. Thank you Lord.

Psalm 92:12-15 NKJV The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree,
He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
Those who are planted in the house of the Lord
Shall flourish in the courts of our God.
They shall still BEAR FRUIT IN OLD AGE;
They shall be fresh and flourishing,
To declare that the Lord is upright;
He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.

MESSAGE “Good people will prosper like palm trees,
Grow tall like Lebanon cedars;
transplanted to God’s courtyard,
They’ll grow tall in the presence of God,
lithe and green, virile still in old age.”
Such witnesses to upright God!
My Mountain, my huge, holy Mountain!

I am sure experiencing this, to God be all the glory.

We also tend to look back on our past, and in hindsight, see the Lord’s leading and blessing, often it is much clearer now than at the time, someone has said HINDSIGHT HAS 20/20 VISION.

David says in Psalm 143::5 NKJV I remember the days of old;
I meditate on all Your works;
I muse on the work of Your hands.
I spread out my hands to You;
My soul longs for You like a thirsty land Selah.

MESSAGE I remembered the old days,
went over all you’ve done, pondered the ways you’ve worked,
Stretched out my hands to you,
as thirsty for you as a desert thirsty for rain.

Because of the grace of God (despite my failings and failures I HAVE LIVED THE DREAM, and I cannot but bow down and say THANK YOU JESUS.

Solomon tells us in Proverbs 17:7 NKJV Children’s children are the crown of old men, and the glory of children is their father.
MESSAGE Old people are distinguished by grandchildren;
children take pride in their parents.

The Lord blest us with 2 sons, and parenting only has “on the job training” so it was a constant learning experience ,both came to the Lord at an early age and were baptised in water and in their teens filled with the Holy Spirit, and to this day are going on with the Lord, and fully committed to their local church. They have given us 5 grand children who are all also going on with the Lord, and serving the Lord in their local church. One grand daughter is also currently studying in my Alma Mater, and where I taught for 11 years, we also have a niece studying for the Ministry in the same College (but in a different city). Once again it was the grace of God that was our portion in our parenting, and we daily thank God for our children and grandchildren and pray for them that their lives will continue to to know the favour and blessing of God.

I guess I could not help but seem to spotlight myself with this topic, but I thank God today and every day, for the Lord’s goodness to me.

Have a blessed weeked.