The Golden Years
The Golden Years
Several years ago, I found occasion to visit an elderly friend in a nursing home. Upon my arrival, and aware of her suffering at the time, I was relieved to find her fast asleep. I very carefully sat down in a chair next to her and prayed for her silently, for an extended time. I prayed for a deep, deep sleep; a sleep that would include a dream of what awaited her in the next life.
After praying, I gazed out the window of the room—a nice view of a green field. I felt detached from the surrounds, and took a few more minutes to enjoy the quietness in the room. Just before I made motion to stand and leave, my heart sensed a presence in the room.
Very slowly I turned around to see another elderly woman sitting in the far corner. I had not noticed her earlier, as her privacy curtain had been drawn as I entered the room. While praying for my friend, her roommate had very quietly slipped out of bed, and into her reading chair in the far corner.
As my eyes met the eyes of this stranger, I felt as if I were looking into the eyes of Jesus Himself. There was a strong angelic presence near this woman. She dawned a beautiful smile, which is a rare sight in a nursing home. She appeared to be perfectly content, and at total peace.
Her name was Grace.
Grace invited me to sit and talk quietly for a while. Interestingly, her invitation was not that rooted in the terminal loneliness that plagues many nursing home residents. Rather, it was a simple invitation to talk.
As we talked very quietly and nearly at a whisper, she shared her story. Grace was only 74 years old, and seemed to possess the mental faculties of a 40 year old calculus instructor. She had fallen on a number of occasions, badly damaging her hips, which necessitated close observation throughout the day. It was with waves of sadness that I listened to the story of her migration from
Grace did not tell a tale of neglect, abuse and abandonment. Rather, I had to put the pieces together myself, to realize that she was in fact neglected, abused, and abandoned. Her story was filled with love and pride for her children. She never inferred any wrong doing on their part.
As Grace and I continued to get to know one another, I found myself, under my breath, being pulled into a strange puzzle. I thought to myself, “Why is Grace not then completely consumed in bitterness and resentment, like most people who have been callously discarded in nursing homes? Why does Grace exude such love, peace, contentment and authentic happiness as she talks?”
As Grace continued her story, she spoke dearly of her children and grandchildren, as if they had been to visit her just a few days prior. In actuality they had not visited Grace for some two months or more. She went on to talk about her friendship with a high profile figure in mainstream American Christendom. He was at the time embroiled in a very saddening and private trial, but a trial that I happened to be aware of. This figure had personally entrusted her with the most painful elements of his heart-wrenching trial. This told me that Grace was a vestibule of integrity, and was honored by those who are themselves highly esteemed by a large number of people. Grace went on to speak of the man’s deep character, which I knew of as well.
As my time with Grace drew to a close, I was at once overwhelmed by the gripping realization of what I was witnessing in Grace. The puzzle was suddenly solved. Like a bucket of warm pancake syrup being poured upon my mind, and oozing downward onto my heart, I realized that I was face to face with the very subject of my recent teaching focus. What I was seeing face to face, was that of the beauty of a soul that had allowed the Holy Spirit, over the course of her lifetime as a Believer, to so form and fashion every facet of the Fruit of the Spirit within her construct, that it was now nearly impossible for anything to shake her from such. I was face to face with a woman who had faced many trials and traumas in her 74 years, and a woman who had chosen to allow the inner working of the Fruit of the Spirit to transform her soul–completely.
The vast majority of the readership of this essay have heard many times, allusion to Galatians 5:22-24, which reads: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” This excerpt of scripture is often alluded to in passing, and quoted glibly, and that without any substantial focus. A grossly overlooked facet of this excerpt of scripture is that the word “fruit” is synonymous with the word, evidence. The sobering context of this passage therefore, is that the evidence of the Holy Spirit’s habitation in a Believer is that of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Therefore, if these traits do not trademark all that we are setting our hands to in this lifetime; and especially that within the work of the ministry, we are gravely fooling ourselves, and have allowed ourselves to form barriers which thwart the precious symphony that the Holy Spirit longs to conduct upon our hearts.
During the course of the 27 years that I have had my hands set to the ministry plow, I have had the opportunity to meet, rub shoulders with, and actually serve alongside some substantial figures in ministry. Some of these figures are those who’ve written popular books, have spoken to enormous crowds at conferences, and who appear to be so full of revelation that one might expect them at any moment to ascend from the floor and float about the room like some mystical apparition. I will admit with sadness however, that relative few of these figures have left eternal deposits in me—as they have exuded little trace of the fruit of the Spirit in their lives. For there was a time when strong anointing and gifting won my respect and honor. As time marched forward however, strong anointing and gifting began to mean less to me—when it was not married to the fruit of the Spirit and the “wisdom from above.” James 3:17 reads, “The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, then gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.”
Most of us are given the generous gift of a long life—time enough to allow the Holy Spirit to form and fashion the fruit of the Spirit deep within our hearts and minds. King David said, “A man’s years are 70, and if by strength, 80” (Psalm 90:10). Those of us who would surpass these milestones are truly blessed. Such the tragedy it is then, to spend the bulk of our lives consumed in fear, anxiety, strife, stress, bitterness, guilt and anger. Even more so a tragedy is that many of us continue in this downward spiral well into our new life in Christ. Why is this? And how is this so?
Few of us enter the Christian walk without an associated spiritual honeymoon. For several months on average, our hearts are melted; hard-heartedness slowly fades, and mental strongholds, worldly strongholds, lose their grip. The sky seems bluer, the grass seems greener, Chinese food tastes even better than it did before, and we seem to encounter fewer red lights on the way home from work. Life is wonderful. How is it then that we can find ourselves again in a terminally callous state, so many years down the road?
The
We certainly do have a “destiny” to understand and contend-for in this lifetime, inclusive of discovering our gifts, callings and ministries, as well as being affirmed, mentored and released in them through authentic leaders. However, please indulge me for a moment as I peel the lid off an erroneous and broadly circulated substitute.
Why is it that we rarely hear excerpts of scripture, such as Mathew 5:18, quoted? Mathew 5:18 reads, “Unless you become as a little child, you’ll not see the Kingdom.” On the surface, this verse obviously speaks to the acceptance of the gospel with childlike faith—in order to inherit the gift of eternal life. However, I’d like to scratch the surface just little, and invite you to look a litter deeper, just for a moment.
During the past 27 years which constitute my walk as a Believer, the Holy Spirit has often prodded me to meditate on a particular verse or brief excerpt of scripture, sometimes upwards of a year or more. At one point many years ago, and that in addition to a broad range of study otherwise, I found my heart being drawn to Mathew 5:18. I prayed for many months, “Lord, what is it You would have me understand about what appears to be a very simple verse? Then, after nearly a year, and during a fast, this is what I was told in my spirit: “David, unless you become as a little child [by figuratively learning to sit upon My lap in and through daily intimacy with Me and allowing Me to embrace you, affirm you and call you My own—and that through your private and secret life, that secret place with Me] you’ll not see the Kingdom of God made manifest in your life and your ministry—now.”
At the time that I received this word, I had already disciplined myself over many years, to enter-into daily quiet-time with the Lord, very early in the morning. But He wanted more time with me. He wants more time with each of us.
As you ponder the words, “become as a little child,” picture an elderly father figure, sitting in a rocking chair in a cabin, by a burning fireplace, rocking a small child who is fast asleep in his lap, while a very gentle snow blankets the countryside. The small child feels the warm fire at its back, the strong arms of its father draped around it, and a sense of security and safety that transcends words. This, I believe, is the place of trust that Father God says we can experience with Him. And when we find this place, we no longer have to tire ourselves by shouldering the weight of an enormous facade of superficiality and religious posturing. Much rather, we can rest in the freedom of who we’ve been created to be—redeemed, loving souls, filled with the fruit of the Spirit and the wisdom that is from above.
Knowledge without wisdom is “as a clanging gong or noisy cymbal.” I am reminded of the saddening trend that I have witnessed over the past 30 years of my life, wherein reputable colleges and universities pump-out graduates who are presumed “educated;” young people who have pumped their left-brains with trivial facts, only to spew them out at exam time, and do it all over again, month after month, year after year. And because they learn this exercise, and are granted the means to finance this exercise, they find themselves eventually with diploma in-hand, a very unattractive and haughty arrogance about them, and with the misconception that they’re now entitled to a good paying job and all the accoutrements of Americanized self-entitlement (nice houses, nice cars, nice audio-visual toys, esteem, praise, envy and respect). In this context, “The American Dream” is nothing more than a vein posture of self-indulgence, self-entitlement and self-absorption. With this paradigm in motion, millions of people in this country (Christians included, most certainly) have unduly perpetuated a plague of godless consumerism. In essence, we fall to the grand deception that exacts our time, energy and money, and channels it into bigger houses, nicer cars, more toys, increasing self-indulgence, more self-gratification, and selfishness bordering on narcissism.
Understand, I appreciate formal education—it is great for acquiring acronyms before our names and letters after our names, for the purposes of feeding our humanistic self-concept and ego. I happen to be formally qualified to sport both acronyms and letters before and after my name. However to date, the only letters I feel comfortable with sporting in association with my name, are these: W-O-R-M.
Has the spiritual narcissism I’ve described a moment ago, infiltrated the Church? Woefully so—it is a product of pursuing “our personal destiny.” Is it any wonder then, that outwardly mature, seemingly honorable “Christians” can fall to placing their beloved mother in a nursing home—four states away?
Sometimes scriptural admonitions can be eerily and uncannily accurate in depicting the very times in which we live. On this note, hold onto your keyboard as you read this one:
“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous without self-control, brutal, not lovers of good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power” (II Tim. 3:1-5a).
And how’s this for “personal destiny”: “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you” (1 Peter 4:12).
“Suffering? Surly this is not my personal destiny.”
No? Consider how it was that the Apostle Paul evolved into the powerful servant that he ultimately became: “I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked” (2 Corinthians 11:23-27).
Still want to walk in your “personal destiny”? Still want to “earnestly pursue the greater gifts” and offices? Relative few truly understand what they are praying for in this regard. This widespread lack of understanding is largely due to the grave absence of teaching and preaching in this country presently, which overlooks the critical understanding that embracing the Cross, means also embracing the crucified life.
When was it, that you last heard a given primary speaker, in a public meeting, utter the following words: “The Cross.”
If it has been relatively recent, you just may be in the right place of fellowship.
Somehow, it is difficult for me to imagine the Apostle Paul attending a “Firepower—Explosion—Shake the Earth—Call Heaven Down—Great Gobs of Glory [with honey mustard sauce]—Enter Your Destiny Conference” (complete with an “advanced activation” time for each paid participant). Were he to attend such however, I do believe his message would be disappointing to our self-indulging sea of conference-goers, as it would likely be very short, to the point, and gravely lacking in hype, hoopla, glitz and glamour. His message would likely span about seven seconds, and go something like this:
“Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. Thank you very much for your time. I’ll see you at the cross.”
“Wait a minute. How can I receive any ‘personal activation’ with that?”
Easy, try dying!
“I [Paul] die daily” (I Cor. 15:31).
I have attended countless ministry conferences over the years, and have also been privileged to speak and minister at many. I have often left such conferences truly changed and in awe of the power of God having been manifested therein—manifestations of His power that transcend words. But understand that what I have alluded to moments ago, is that of the damaging trend of self-absorption within the Church, and in this country (the
We (men in particular) strive for our entire lives to be associated with titles of importance. Such the striving is not absent within the Church. We strive to be known as: Apostle, Bishop, Father, Monsignor, Reverend, Rector, Prophet, Pastor, Teacher, Evangelist, and even “The Man of God-a”. Little are we mindful throughout such striving, that God wishes simply, to call us, “Friend.”
Of the many weddings I’ve had the privilege of officiating; one in particular casts a humorous light upon the title-frenzy I speak of.
I was approached by a biker-couple, both of whom owned and rode Harley-Davidson’s. They posed an interested sociological hybrid of sorts, as they were more than “weekend warriors” in the biker world, and were truly connected to the biker culture. At the same time, they were interconnected with many tiers of society, including the affluent.
Much of the immediate wedding party rode Harley’s—to the wedding. The groom wore black leather chaps (pants), and a tuxedo top. It was a surprisingly large wedding which included a diverse representation of society, which positioned bikers seated next to affluent professionals. The setting was that of a beautiful inland waterway and accompanying marsh, within a historical landmark on the coast of
During the lively and colorful reception, I was at one point approached by three men that I nearly mistook for morticians, were it not for their “clergy” regalia. They represented three different conservative branches of ecumenism. They proceeded to collectively inquire as to how I arrived at my “unique” title. They did so with the aura, poise, demeanor, tone and posture of IRS Auditors. Suffice it to say that I had much fun with the conversation that ensued, the closure of which prompted these three members of “the clergy” to dawn facial expressions that suggested they were closer to representing cadavers, than morticians.
Lest it appear that I poke fun at some of the celebrated outer wear of my co-laborers in ministry; allow me to clarify that I am simply suggesting to them that they include a little more fiber in the diets. For regularity works wonders toward fostering spiritual enlightenment.
The vain chasm between “the clergy” and “the laity” is the byproduct of the
We often take ourselves way too seriously when engaging the pulpit, while at the same time failing to take the sovereignty of God seriously enough.
I happen to deeply appreciate, joyfully celebrate, and passionately embrace global ethnicities expressed via outer adornment and regalia, and especially such expressions for the purposes of worship, wherein for example, First Nations peoples (Native Americans), rural Africans and Asians etc, express their worship through the beauty of their wonderfully unique symbolisms, and therefore celebrate their beautiful culture. It is rather the western European regalia which has long disturbed me, as it speaks of religious pomp. I confess this shortcoming, and ask that the reader would grant me grace as I seek to grow in mercy in this regard.
When we are moving authentically within a given ministry office, there will be no need to concern ourselves with titles—for our calling will be clear to the Body. For those who yet insist on titles, and equally insist on the loftiest of titles, allow me to remind the reader of such the job description:
“For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as men condemned to death; because we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men. We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are prudent in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong; you are distinguished, but we are without honor. To this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty, and are poorly clothed, and are roughly treated, and are homeless; and we toil, working with our own hands; when we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure; when we are slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, even until now” (I Cor. 4:91-3).
Still want to be known as an “apostle”?
Let’s ponder the apostolic call for a moment, while imagining a contemporary version of but a small facet of the interior agonies that Paul endured. Imagine those you look up to, those you consider mentors and fathers in the faith, all turning on you as the result of a hideous demonically crafted slander-assault against you. Imagine those that look up to you, those that you have mentored, falling prey to the same lie. Imagine then that your credibility has been completely erased, and that you’re deemed as one who is walking in delusion, is mentally ill, unstable and immoral. Imagine then losing all of your money and possessions. Imagine the deep, almost inexpressible feelings of despair, depression, shame, remorse, confusion and emptiness as the result of this demonically crafted assault to destroy your name. Imagine then, that the only being left in the world who still believes in your calling, is God Himself. Imagine all of this, and you can only begin to gain but a cursory sense of what it means to be “a spectacle to the world,” to be “weak,” to be “without honor,” to be “hungry and thirsty,” to be “poorly clothed, roughly treated, homeless, reviled, persecuted, slandered,” and the “the scum of the earth.”
Just for a moment, consider what I have described of the makings of an authentic “sent one” of God. Contrast then, many of the celebrities you view on Christian television, and one of their popular catch-phrases: “You’re the head, and not the tail!”
You are the “head” alright—the head of a nail awaiting the smack of a 22 ounce framing hammer named death-to-self!
How is it that we can drift so far from the simplicity of scripture with respect to what it means to walk in maturity, inclusive of what it means to fulfill our “destinies” and unique callings and ministries? The answer can be found in part, and that pointedly so within the
I have dialogued with several high-profile ministers who have jumped on the postmodernism bandwagon over the last decade or so. Interestingly and humorously so, when I have asked each of them to render a simple “working man’s” definition of the phrase, they cannot. Instead, they lollygag for at least 15 minutes (or 45 minutes, if I don’t interrupt them), spewing many new age, pop-psychology, media-induced and trendy terms and phrases, yet never arriving at a simple definition of the phrase. The fact of the matter therefore, is that this concept and philosophy is the vain product of a shallow attempt on the part of secular sociologists to describe the current state of a handful of advanced economies within the western hemisphere.
With this thought in mind, and as we continue to consider the current state of the
“Some were shouting one thing and some another, for the assembly was in confusion and the majority did not know for what reason they had come together” (Acts 19:32).
Sadly, this verse is depictive of many public gatherings I’ve attended in the name of “church,” throughout this country—churches that have adopted and embraced a “progressive” (postmodern) paradigm.
Consider this formal (“scholarly”) definition of word postmodernism: “Postmodernism tends to refer to a cultural, intellectual, or artistic state lacking a clear central hierarchy or organizing principle and embodying extreme complexity, contradiction, ambiguity, diversity, and interconnectedness or interreferentiality.”
At this point, I believe I have solved the dilemma I pose surrounding this word, for I have reduced the definition of the word “postmodernism” to but one word, when it is applied to church life:
Compromise.
And when the phrase is applied to life in general, I’ve equally reduced it to but one word:
Confusion.
I have found that most seemingly abstract and ethereal concepts can usually be reduced to but a few words, and often times, one word, that a common goat farmer like me may grasp such.
In essence, church leaders who jump on the postmodernism bandwagon, feel that because society has changed so much since the early church (Acts 2), our approach to church, fellowship, ministry, evangelism and the Christian life as a whole, needs to reflect the times in which we live. Hogworsh!
To the radical contrary, our post-modernistic mumbo-jumbo needs to die, that we can truly live in the simplicity of the purity, holiness and power awesomely displayed in Acts 2. I’m not the only one with a strong opinion on this subject. Let’s take a look at what Jesus said about it: “This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me…teaching as doctrines the precepts of men” (Mat. 15:8-9).
Hmmmmm.
I’m with you folks, if you conclude that “the buck stops” with Jesus’ thoughts on the matter.
Lest the reader preclude that I’ve simply not had the benefit of ongoing exposure to “progressive thought,” may I divulge that I have walked the halls of formal academia for over 20 years, and in so doing have gained only a compacted spine and a sore butt as the result of sitting for literally thousands of hours and listening to hogworsh! I’ve hob-knobbed with many folks holding terminal degrees, those honest of which will confess that the most educated people on the planet are those who intimately know the Word of God, period.
The reader might wonder at this point, how it is that I could initiate an essay entitled The Golden Years, and then digress into lambasting pop-philosophy. Allow me to explain everything, by first posing a question:
Do you suppose that I would be taking an excerpt of scripture out of context, were I to suggest that the prophet Jeremiah had a word (“in season”) for the
“For the least of them even to the greatest of them, everyone is greedy for gain. And from the prophet even to the priest, everyone deals falsely. They have healed the brokenness of My people superficially, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ but there is no peace…Thus says the Lord, ‘Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; and you will find rest for your souls.’ But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ And I set watchmen over you, saying, ‘Listen, to the sound of the trumpet!’ But they said, ‘We will not listen.’ “
The Western mind has largely influenced the
I wish to invite the reader to tarry with me for a few moments, and enter a world in which many in their Golden Years dwell on a daily basis.
Often times, within the context of a given day within a nursing home, and wherein you have run out of things to keep you busy, the all-too-familiar stillness and silence returns. Stillness and silence can be very uncomfortable, can it not? For in the first few moments of silence, your entire past turns to face you—again. It is then that the gnawing and guttural churning of guilt, shame and remorse over your personal failures can feel all-consuming. Then, you find a few more things to do, that you might forget about the gnawing and churning deep within, that reminds you of your failures, your countless sins. If you can identify with what I have described, I trust that momentarily you are about to receive some long-overdue encouragement.
Surely you are old enough to have heard the glib phrase, “You must learn to forgive yourself.” The reason this sounds good yet amounts to nothing is this: You cannot forgive yourself, unless you are suffering from MPD (Multiple Personality Disorder) and one of your personalities decides to forgive another personality. Otherwise, you’re pretty much “hosed.” What secular psychologists have attempted to do by creating such a glib concept, is that of bringing “closure” to shame, guilt, remorse and the subsequent depression which follows long-unresolved sin and the lingering cloud of condemnation. I’m afraid they’ve missed the mark in this regard.
What you can do to find forgiveness, is to believe that when you fall to your knees and confess your sins to the Lord, He washes-over you with His blood, and cleanses you completely. When you can believe this for yourself, you can then be freed from the gnawing guilt that seeks to rob you of what should be precious moments of stillness and silence spent communing with the Lord.
Lest it would appear that I stand alone in this assertion, consider the words of R.A. Torrey (1856-1928): “If you are this moment troubled about any sin that you have ever committed, either in the past or in the present, just look at Jesus on the cross. It is an act of base ingratitude to God to brood over sins that He in His infinite love has canceled.”
As you cry-out to the Lord and ask Him to redeem the moments that “the locusts have eaten,” understand that it is not too late to have those moments restored to you, that you may in turn sow eternal deposits of love into the lives of those within your sphere of influence. Consider this for just a moment: Do you suppose that it is possible, that all that you have walked through in your lifetime, failures and sins included, has shaped you into a unique vessel in all the earth—a unique vessel that is the only one who can touch the depths of those around you, with Perfect Love? If you suppose so, you have supposed correctly.
I believe I will attempt to tap the limits of the English language for a moment, by asserting that God has no concept of time. He is truly timelessness embodied. As such, do you not suppose that you, in your 60’s, 70’s, 80’s or even 90’s, appear to Him in your spirit, just as you appeared to Him in your spirit when your were at the “flower of your youth”? You’re the same soul; the only difference is that your body has experienced and endured the full cycle of the human saga, and all of the physical, psychological and emotional traumas of which it is now comprised.
Considering the timeless nature of God, consider also that King David and his son, King Solomon, who was one of the wisest men to have walked the planet, both said that “our lives are but a vapor.” In the context of history’s timeline then, our lives can be likened to the span of but one day. In fact, scripture says that “with God, a day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as a day” (II Peter 3:8). If He then (and I believe He does) sees you as if it were “just the other day” that you were born, can He not also see before you the liberty and grace to walk in all that He has destined for you to walk in, even though you see yourself in your final season of life, having lost all hope of fulfilling what you felt you were called-to? In one day’s time, He can restore all that was lost. In one day’s time, He can so rid you of shame, remorse, and the emptiness, depression and anger that clings to you as the result of unresolved guilt, that your mind and heart will be free to exude and extend His very Kingdom into your midst, that you may in turn deeply touch and impact every life in your vicinity for the remainder of your days. In so doing, you will tap the deepest measure of fulfillment possible in this lifetime—for there is nothing that will bring fulfillment to you any deeper than that of the result of being a channel of His manifest presence, every day, and for the remainder of your life. May I therefore encourage you by saying that being a channel of His manifest presence, simply involves lingering in His presence, for an apportioned period, daily. It is not too late to cultivate this discipline.
Psalm 39:4 reads, “O Lord, make me to know my end and what is the measure of my days…” In essence, King David was saying in simple terms, “I long to live with the end in mind. I long to so live my days, that at the end I may look back and know that I have contended for the prize.” In recent years, I have felt deeply convicted to live with the end in mind—how it is that I wish to be known by those I’ve left behind. It is my desire, to so live my life from this point forward, that as I transition to the next life, my tombstone might read: “Friend of God.”
Within nursing homes, retirement homes, and many homes in general, sit thousands of Saints who pine away as the final chapter of their lives marches forward. Many of these Saints are carted to and from church services on Sundays to listen to second-hand revelation from men and women who are about as spiritually deep as a rain puddle. To the contrary, it is the very Saints pining away at home, who should be manning the pulpit.
You are of infinite worth, loved one. Your DNA, temperament, personality, history, testimony and fingerprint is unique in all the earth. In fact, your uniqueness is an expression of the omniscience of God. For each of us, once we have tapped His lifeline of salvation, can become one of billions of jewels that comprise His treasure chest within humanity abroad. What you can impart to those in your immediate vicinity, and that within but a short span of time, can be an expression of God Himself; that no one else can extend—but you.
In what might be deemed overly simplistic terms, our lives on earth are but a dress rehearsal for eternity. And you know what? The rehearsal isn’t over. You’re still auditioning, and “on stage.” As the spot light then continues to shine upon you, ask the Lord to enable you to draw from His unfathomable grace, that you may hereafter move in such a state of godly nobility—that you send an eternal ripple effect through the hearts of everyone you come in contact with, from here on out. Understand as I say this, that the gnawing uncertainty that questions whether you have known Him at all to date, is simply that of the result of the Accuser of the Brethren perching himself on your shoulder and slapping you in the face with your past, day in and day out. He has done this because he knew that you would ultimately read this essay and subsequently realize that the remainder of your days could very well represent that chapter wherein you so effect God’s nature, that the family and friends you leave behind will ultimately place on your epitaph, “Friend of God.”
Jesus really does want us to approach him like “little children” (Mathew 18:3). In so doing, we have the childlike liberty, daily, to ask Him to come into our hearts—all over again. I do this often, just like a child. And when the gnawing uncertainty visits you and questions you as to whether you walk with Him at all, question no more, because at that very moment, you can simply pray:
“Lord Jesus, please come into my heart. Please make my heart Your home. Please forgive me of my sins. Please heal and cleanse my heart, my mind, and my body. Please shape me into a vessel fit for your use, and grant me peace in knowing that I will one day see you in heaven.”
As the end of the age paces briskly forward, the one thing most deeply seated in our hearts; the one thing that we will yearn-for above all else, is that of peace, inner peace, peace that melts-away fear, doubt, uncertainty and confusion. The Bible speaks of a “peace which surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:6-7). And the price of this peace is prayer, simple prayer, just like the one I invited you to pray, above. The peace I speak of can be yours within moments following your resolve to become “as a little child.” We are called as Believers to remain in this posture, for life. And by doing so, God’s peace will never be further out of reach than our resolve to pray to Him, like a child.
Your Golden Years can be your best years yet, loved one. I have this on good Authority.
Copyright © 2008, David A. Davenport The Golden Years, 01/01/08
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