Apr 5 - "Temporary and Eternal"

So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal. --- 2 Corinthians 4:13-18

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There is no doubt about it. We grow older each day, our bodies microscopically changing and degrading ever so slightly as we walk slowly towards the end of our days on earth. Our minds become a little less crisp, memories fade and physical activities we once used to enjoy without second thought become more difficult and leave us hurting after.

Should this stark reality weigh us down, depress and leave us without hope?

I have been blessed to know Bonnie Lucy Wilson my entire life. My Grandma Bonnie has been the steady rock of our family for as long as I can remember. Her deep love for family, her sharp wit and her vegetable soup have been mainstays in my extended family for all of my years. If you were to meet her today for the first time, you would see that her physical form is fading away. It is hard for her to get around and her short-term memory is not what it used to be.

But, in a beautiful way, she is getting younger every day. Whenever I see her, it seems she has a new perspective on the value of family and, most importantly, on the role God has played and continues to play in her family's life. She sits serenely watching all that is going on around her as children, grandchildren and now great-grandchildren laugh, play and love in her midst. When I talk to her about the scene, the menagerie of activity, relishing with her the blessedness of the occasion, she often quotes Psalm 46, verse 10: "Be still and know that I am the Lord." It is now obvious to me that her sitting and watching is not a quiet disconnectedness, it is her way of praising God, letting Him "be".

Yes, the fact that we are growing older each day is right there in front of us. But what else is true? With each day we live, we come one day closer to that day, when we will stand with Christ, renewed and restored with the knowledge that the pain and trials we faced on Earth were only temporary. We will recognize that we are seasoned by this world. We are given the gifts of time and experience which wonderfully deepen our understanding.

So, rejoice in growing older. Know that we live in this strange yet beautiful way; growing older and closer to the end of our earthly lives, yet becoming newer and more childlike with each passing day. Love the hauntingly bittersweet dance of this world, for each moment, each temporary instance of joy and pain, bring us ever-closer to eternity of being in the loving arms of God.