I've recently thought that it's God's mercy that we fall apart as we get older. How humbling it is to end one's creaturely life dependent on others, unable to function as we once did, no longer as attractive as we were at our prime. It drives home the point that there is only One whose glory is unalterable. If that lesson didn't sink in when we were young adults, it will certainly sink in later. We might rail against it, we might work hard to hide the effects, but we won't change the immutable fact: "All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever" (1 Peter 1:24-25).
Carolyn McCulley Did I Kiss Marriage Goodbye? 162
image is from Jeff the Trojan at flickr
The marks of bearing children, the scar from that operation that God mercifully brought me through, the rough hands and the grey hairs are all part of living and working in God's world and for his kingdom. Imagine if you had so carefully lived your life for yourself that you arrived at heaven's gates in mint condition. Oh the shame of having wasted so much life! I hope I arrive at heaven's door a lovely well-spent wreck.
ReplyDeleteBeautifully put as always, Deb, thank you!
ReplyDelete