March 6, 2018

GROWING OLD

Wisdom of Solomon 4:7-9

But though a righteous man may die before his time,
He shall be at rest.
For old age is not honored for its length of existence,
Nor measured by its number of years;
But discernment is gray hair for mankind,
And a spotless life is the maturity of old age.

Encouraging Words

Old age is quickly becoming a very prevalent part of our culture. With the baby boomers entering into the age of retirement our society is beginning to see a tsunami of issues related to aging. I know, I am in this generation. There are many in our culture today that would prefer it if we would just step aside and let them take over. I am not ready to do that. I may not be in my prime physically, but I can still split a cord of wood with an ax (it might take me a month or so) or do an Iron Butt motorcycle ride (Google that). But I do believe that I am in the prime of my life with what I can give to my society. Forty years of experience in the business world provides wisdom and discernment that only comes from having lived through both successes and failures, hiring and layoffs, and just plain having done it before. I still have a lot to offer whether it be teaching high school students every Sunday at my church or helping out to coach college seniors on how to run a project, or leading a team on a mission trip, or riding my motorcycle from Ohio to California with my gorgeous bride as my companion. The message here is twofold. To the young ones coming behind us, don't put us out to pasture because we are elderly, leverage what we know so that you can avoid some of the mistakes that we made and reap the benefits of some of our accomplishments. For those who are of my generation, get out of the pasture, stop resting on your laurels of retirement and give back to those who are coming behind us. Remember...old age is not honored for its length of existence, nor measured by its number of years, but discernment is gray hair for mankind, and a spotless life is the maturity of old age. Glory be to God!