Hello once again from
Community Christian Fellowship,
Over the past few weeks, I've
had the unique opportunity to
talk at length with several
individuals ranging from the age
of 19 years old to almost 90.
These two stick out in my mind
due to their age difference, but
I would like us all to consider
something that most of us will
experience in our time here on
earth; the different stages of
life.
For most of us, these stages
aren't even considered, but
experience has shown me they can
be very real and down right
challenging for many of us.
If you're older, take the
time to remember your early
years. If you're younger, think
of what you hope will happen
with you and for you, as you get
older. For the older ones among
us, we can look back and realize
the mistakes we've made and the
times in life that went very
well. So, it can feel like a
mixed bag if we let it. But, at
the time we were going through
it, we simply didn't see things
the way we do now. For example,
in general, the death of a
parent will be very different
for an 11 year old then it will
be for a 53 year old. Why?
Because of the differences in
their age of course, but also
because in general, an 11 year
old does not look at
relationships and the broader
world the way a 53 year old
does, they are not at the same
stage. 11 year olds are just
learning to understand the
deeper differences in other
people; most 53 year olds
hopefully have that concept
pretty well understood.
Some studies are now
suggesting that adolescence as
we know it doesn't "end" in this
day and age until one is 26-27
years old! We used to think it
ended in the late teens or early
20's. But, the concept of the
"adolescent stage" didn't even
exist a little over 100 years
ago. So here's the point-We can
think we are going through an
earth shattering trial, when all
that is really happening is that
we are moving into another
"stage" in life and we have to
adjust accordingly.
The 19 year old I know is
attempting to become more
independent from her family,
getting a better education than
high school, and deciding what
she wants to do for the next
year or two. The 90 year old is
coming to grips with the reality
that he cannot do the things now
he has done for most of his
life-he has to learn to be
dependant again; just like he
was when he was a child. But,
it's so different, he's
experienced so much, and loosing
one's abilities is very
difficult; it can be a very big
trial-in fact, both situations
can be.
So, what's the answer? Are
you ready, there is none; they
will just "be" for most of us.
We will make decisions regarding
jobs, family, friends, God, and
ourselves. Some we will be proud
of, some we might regret
deeply-as my kids love to say,
"It is what it is".
Solomon, in his later stages
of life, wrote vanity, vanity
all is vanity. In other words,
everything will end-it is
decaying. I believe he had to
admit this to himself in order
to understand the profound
importance of the existence of
God. In the later years of life,
he came to understand what
really matters. God is good no
matter what happens to us, and
He will give us the insight and
strength to adjust. We just have
to decide to believe that is
true. So, hang in there. God has
a "stage" for us that we can't
even imagine! One day we will be
in His literal presence! I can't
wait-what a wonderful stage that
will be for all of us. Until
next time, Pastor Mark
