As a child, I loved birthdays. I felt special all day long. My parents retold the stories surrounding my birth, and I never tired of hearing them. I realize now that they gifted me with much more than stories. They let me know how much they loved and valued me as a member of the family. I treasure those memories now.
Back then, I looked forward to getting older. Imagine!
Recently we visited the home of a young couple. As we pulled into the driveway, the yellow house, the almost-finished barn, the garden patch, and the laughter of children all told a story. A story that brought out the melancholy side of me. I felt a bit wistful.
I remember when two little girls laughed and played inside our picket fence, when the tooth fairy stopped by on a regular basis, when young scientists littered the kitchen table with their projects. Young and strong, my husband and I worked hard to live out our dreams.
How the years slip by . . .
We're not so young and strong anymore. Life has given us ample blessings to be sure, but realism has pushed our young idealism to the side. With a lesser confidence, I find myself looking back and hoping we've pleased God in one way or another.
And in the midst of my unsettledness, I run across these words:
The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree . . . 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 (Psalm 92:12-15).It seems God's perspective on aging is a bit different than mine. While I'm not exactly "old," I have added mother-in-law and grandma to my list of names. "Bear fruit in old age . . . fresh and flourishing" brings my focus around to look forward with expectation. Perhaps to be a voice of experience to "declare that the Lord is upright," that He is a rock, an anchor of hope no matter where our life stories lead us.
I want to bring this promise with me as the years go by. How about you?
I'm trusting His promise . . . my rock and anchor of hope as the years go by. Thank you for reminding me of His ongoing faithfulness.
ReplyDeleteAren't you glad we have the Word of God to give us perspective? And hope! Thanks, Jo Ann.
DeleteI can only hope to one day add names like Grandma and Mother-in-Law to my somewhat confusing personality profile!
ReplyDeleteYou make me smile, Sherry!!
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