He Wants to Dream Like a Young Man With the Wisdom of an Old Man
When I was young, I thought I was older than I was. Now that I am old, I think that I am younger than I am. These thoughts are proved by my actions at the specified times. In youth, I exercised myself in things too great for me. In age, I try to recapture the things that are gone. To quote a television icon, “Makes ya’ think.” Solomon said it’s meaningless to chase the wind.
No matter where we are, we want to be somewhere else. We’re like cows leaving the pasture behind to graze through the fence. This is not merely a spatial concept. The same is true of station in life and all the immaterial things that go along with that. We want to be old and young simultaneously. Rather, older folks do because they’ve seen life from both sides while the young reach out to the unknown.
You just can’t have it all. The Bible tells us that all things have their time. God can be everything (and everywhere) at once, but we are linear. One thing follows and drives out what was before. This is a frustration to us but a natural part of every life. There are seasons in living. If we can understand that, perhaps we can accept it- even embrace it. Maybe, there can be joy in change or even loss.
It is true that I am dying, but I am also growing. We often think of losing things in the passage of time, but many of those had a short shelf-life anyway. Few things having to do with normal, earthly living last very long, let alone are eternal. There is a trade-off in everything, and we swap the zest of youth for experience and know-how.
Beth Moore said that when her children left home she thought the house would be empty. Instead, she found that it was full of memories. There are so many things pressed between the pages of my mind that I wouldn’t trade for any mile run or bouncing ball. If I knew then what I know now, I’d have been dangerous. But I didn’t then, and I’m not now. God and time moved me along.
Wisdom is found in numbering our days, and realizing the fragility of life. These thoughts should lead us to seek our Maker for we will surely meet Him one day. We must treasure time. It is the stuff of life. Realizing this begs the question, “What does God want me to do with my life at this stage and with the time I have left?”
Time waits for no one. This being true, its waste is the greatest of losses. I wasn’t everything I wanted to be in days gone by (and I’m not now), but it’s not over yet. When I consider the years I will live in eternity, I’m quite young. So, I’ve got a lot of living to do. I may not be everything I want to be, but God’s concern is that I be what I should to be. Help me, Lord. Help us all.
Sterl
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