"Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them...While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain." Ecclesiastes 12:1, 2.(KJV)
I rather like "The Living Bible" version of this passage: "Don't let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your creator. Honor Him in your youth before you grow old and no longer enjoy living. It will be too late then to remember Him, when the light of the sun and moon and stars is dim to your old eyes, and there is no silver lining left among the clouds."
This is a pretty good description of old age, I would say. Wouldn’t you? It is sad to see so many elderly folks who have lost pleasure in living. It doesn't need to be so, but I am afraid society has made it this way. Instead of calling on octogenarians to share the wisdom they have learned from life, we often shun what they have to say, thinking to ourselves, "What do they know? They are just old fogies who have lost their minds." Many times our elders throw gems of wisdom our way, and we fail to catch them.
II Chronicles 10: Rehoboam, King Solomon's son took over the kingdom of Israel upon his father's death. He asked the old men, who had served on the council for his father, advice about how to run the kingdom. They gave good counsel, based on the experience they had gained over the years. However, Rehoboam chucked aside their pearls of wisdom, listening rather to his peers, the young fellows. As a result, he lost the greater part of his kingdom to Jeroboam, the opposition.
Maybe it is because I am getting older that my mind concentrates more on age. I don't know if this is the reason, but something keeps whispering in my ears, "Listen carefully to your elders. They are becoming more and more scarce, as you approach the age where you will be taking their place." Age has a way of catching everyone.
Prayer: “Oh God, please make me more aware of the elderly. May I listen to what they are saying. May I remember that they have walked this path before me. Make me eager to catch their gems of wisdom."
© Helen Dowd
