Growing old

https://odb.org/2023/10/24/dont-lose-heart-2

They say two things are unavoidable in life; death and taxes. Another is perhaps ageing and its impact on our lives. When we age, we start to have a myriad of illnesses from high cholesterol to hypertension to diabetes to heart ailments. We need to start taking long-term medication. When we travel, we take a longer time to recover. We tire more easily. Even in sports, we don’t hit as hard as we used to, and our reflexes are slower. Just a few weeks back, when we returned to Malaysia from Melbourne, I lifted two large luggages together to enter the shuttle bus to the long-term carpark and pulled a ligament. It has been nearly 3 weeks plus now, and I still can’t bend down like normal. I think this will probably take 3 months to heal.

From our teens to our adulthood to middle age and into our golden years, the passage of time and ageing can not be avoided. We see our pets as puppies and kittens, and they go before us. We plant a little tree, and they are now giants. Trees, of course, will outlive us if they are not cut down for development. We attend weddings and funerals, witness the birth of children, and the next generation. One day, we will be the past generation. We will have our own funeral.

But if we are in the Lord, we are not fearful of the future, whether in this life or the life to come. We know that the Lord loves us, and as we seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, all these things will be added unto us. He will make sure we survive this life. But most importantly, the one who is able to destroy both our bodies and our souls will preserve our soul. We have a destiny and a home in eternity. Thus, although our body will weaken as we age, our inner man is renewed each day, and as we seek His face, our inner man will grow from glory to glory when we fix our eyes on the things unseen. Eternal life is our final destination. We have that hope. We carry that hope in us. We are assured of our place in our Father’s house as His mansion has many rooms, and our Lord Jesus Christ has gone ahead to prepare a place for us.

Do not lose heart that we have lost the beauty and lustre of our youth, its strength and virility. Our skin is not as smooth, and perhaps we have less hair now. What matters is that our inner man is growing in maturity and stature in the Lord. We will be bringing our soul into eternity. So make sure that it becomes what it should be in the Lord.