My mom is 91 years old and this weekend she moved to a nursing home. From the way she is reacting to her new surroundings I think so far it has been harder on me than her. I hope it stays that way. On my way out this evening I heard a resident down the hallway calling out to be taken home.
In the last part of Ecclesiastes Solomon addresses the issues of aging in not very encouraging tones. In 12:1 he calls them “the evil days” and goes on to speak of strong men becoming feeble and rising at dawn with the birds but not being able to hear them sing. In verse 5 he speaks of old people being afraid of heights and things on the street. It reminded me of visiting elderly people and finding multiple locks on their doors.
All in all Solomon is not very optimistic about getting old. He says in verses 6 & 7 the silver cord is broken and we return to dust and all of it was meaningless. I’m sorry he never knew about Jesus because Jesus changes everything. Jesus is hope. Jesus is the “logos” which means He brings meaning to our lives. In John 5:24 Jesus promises that we have crossed over from death to an abundant life. He promises a life of continued development and continuingly expanding mental and moral powers. We bring glory to our heavenly Father and according to Ephesians 2 become the recipients of lavish grace and gifts.
Written by Roger Bothwell on August 30, 2006
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