Tuesday, January 17, 2017

Age Spots

Tuesday, January 17, 2017
 As for you, Titus, promote the kind of living that reflects wholesome teaching.  Teach the older men to exercise self-control, to be worthy of respect, and to live wisely.  They must have sound faith and be filled with love and patience.  Titus 2:1-2(NLT)
The older I get the more I think about living in one of those places where somebody else does the yard work!  Are those age spots on my arm? 
It took a whole day and every ounce of strength I had to trim a tree down to a manageable size in our yard.  Well, cutting the limbs is only half a job – you then have to dispose of the pile!  It only took an hour or so to get the mess loaded, and then off to the county drop-off point to shrink my portfolio of tree limbs, branches, leaves and grass clippings. 
In my tired and age-weary condition my mind forgot to alert me to the fact that I’d forgotten my rake and shovel to help me unload the pile.  But I remembered as soon as I got to the landfill and took my place to empty the trailer.  Rats!
While I was struggling with the tangle of limbs, leaves and such, one pitiful handful at a time, another, larger truck pulled alongside me, sporting a trailer three times the size of mine, stuffed with a whole forest of limbs and tree trunks.  When the driver disembarked from his truck I couldn’t believe my eyes…he was at least 85 and wearing dress pants, a Hawaiian shirt and shined shoes.  I thought:  what in the world is this joker up toIt only took a moment to find out.
In a just a second or two the old guy hit the release on the back of his trailer, pulled a switch that lifted the whole back, dumped the load, and was gone before I realized my mouth was hanging open like a venus fly trap; that old man knew what he was doing!
I got to thinking that I’m really not that far behind him (in years, not wisdom), so I’d better pay attention and watch what people do at that stage of life.  If an 85 year-old man can still do stuff that wears me out, he must know things I don’t.  And that probably goes for lots of other things I’ll need to know as well!
The whole point Paul was trying to make with Titus was that old men can be worthy of respect if they will live in a way that is respectful and gracious, and full of the wisdom of patience and love.

For You Today

While you’re doing what you do on this glorious day, take note of the generation that came before you, and learn something important for your future.  And while you’re at it, take note of those in the generation coming after you, and have patience and love towards every one of them; it will give them a boost to their faith!
You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road…have a blessed day!
NOTES


[i] Title image: Russell Brownworth (own work)

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