Thought for the Month - February 2018

"Too many miles on the clock" by Barry Adair

My car's odometer hit 111,111 miles travelled just the other day. The car is over 14 years old now but is still going. OK, it has its rusty sills, creaky doors, rattly panels and faded paintwork but it still gets me from A to B, and most times back to A again!

As I thought about my car with too many miles on the clock, I also thought about our aging population. My Mum and Dad are both over 80 now and my Father in Law is over 90. The "three score years and ten" or "four score" limit from the Bible (Psalm 90:10) is often passed now in the West. But what do we really feel about our septuagenarians (70s), octogenarians (80s) and nonagenarians (90s) amongst us and are we treating them how we should? And how would God have us behave toward them?

Our world has changed drastically in the last few decades. My Mum just reminded me recently that the house she had lived in up to the age of 11 had no electricity or running water. And my Father in law remembers when the death of a new-born or infant was "just one of those things". Thankfully, many of the health issues that gave rise to a higher mortality back then have been addressed. Not that long ago no-one even considered that smoking 40 cigarettes a day could be harmful! We are living longer now but have some way to go to meet that of Methuselah (Genesis 5:27), who died aged 969. Now there's a man who really could say that he had "too many birthdays"!

According to the Bible, old people, especially our own flesh and blood, are to be cared for, listened to and respected…

Listen to your father who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old. (Proverbs 23:22)

Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity. (1 Timothy 5:1-2)

And of course if we are talking about our own parents, then the 5th Commandment is very clear how we, as children, are to treat them…

"Honour thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee." (Exodus 20:12)

However, Western society doesn't always reflect these God given instructions. Older people aren't listened to or respected as much as I think they used to be. In fact, as an example, if I think back to the recent UK Referendum on leaving the European Union (EU), a few commentators actually blamed older people in our communities for being "stupid" in voting to leave the EU! We also don't tend to look after our old and infirm in our own homes anymore. I know there are many reasons for this and that Nursing and Residential Homes can be excellent if properly staffed and funded. However, you only have to watch the news to know that some of these homes can fall very short in maintaining the dignity of old age. I also thought of the drive, by some in authority, to promote the so called "right" to take your own life i.e. euthanasia. I can, of course, appreciate how awful it must be to watch a loved one suffer but the gift of life is not ours to extinguish.

"Thou shalt not kill." (Exodus 20:13)

Thinking back to my old car with its 111,111 miles on the clock, I remember all the great places it has taken me to - and some of the dodgy places it has taken me from! I remember its dependability, its reliability and the enjoyment it has given me over the years. It also taught me about the internal combustion engine, car maintenance and financial management, to name but a few. Likewise with our older generation, let us remember their contributions in getting us to where we are today. Let's remember the sacrifices our parents and grandparents made during our early years. Let's remember how they brought us up to be honest and upright members of society. If it wasn't for my parents ensuring that I went to 'Sunday School', it could have been many years before I heard the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. I was saved by grace while attending "Communicants' classes" in Dungannon Presbyterian Church. By the way, I only attended these classes to allow me to leave 'Sunday School' for good!

Those grey hairs you see on older people can be a crown of glory gained over a righteous life (Proverbs 16:31, Proverbs 20:29). The elderly have still so much to give to society, so much wisdom to impart, especially if they are Bible believing Christians. Who doesn't remember, with fondness, the gentle leading of grandparents when we were young? Let us all respect our elders, listen to their advice, learn from their wisdom and ensure that they retain their dignity even to the end.

But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. (1 Timothy 5:8)

And as we all get older ourselves, may you and I know the joy of being a child of God and the promise of a heavenly home when our earthly bodies finally run their course…

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. (2 Corinthians 23:22)

For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. (2 Corinthians 5:5)

Nearer, my God, to Thee,
Nearer to Thee;
E'en though it be a cross
That raiseth me,
Still all my song shall be
Nearer, my God, to Thee,
Nearer, my God, to Thee,
Nearer to Thee.
(Sarah Fuller Flower Adams)

Until next month (DV)…

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