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Many habits
that seem to come with age are not really needed.
Yes, the body gets stiffer and
the largest places on it turn to mush. But there is no need to
take on the thing that are not useful to the Lord and that at
the same time quench the Spirit.
For example, I think as we get
older we have more of a tendency to try to fix everyone. Older
people can give a great more detail about almost everything than
anyone might want to hear, and since the body is dying, it seems
to require an amazing amount of attention.
There is that wonderful Psalm that
promises the old but faithful believer will have more "verdure"
in his leaves, and that he will be a monument to the faithfulness
of God.
What a tremendous legacy!
It is possible and what's more,
it is necessary to live the whole life with our eyes fixed
on the Lord and to maintain a determined purpose to remain devoted
to discipline, the rescue of the perishing, and the building
up of the Body of Christ.
Walter Covich died last week -
he and his wife Eldy have been missionaries for many, many years,
and at 82, they were both still serving full time under the Slavic
Gospel Association.
Walter discovered cancer only a
couple of months ago, and for his last weeks on earth, they decided
to return to the little coastal village where they had served
for so many years. It was a deliberate move away from first-rate
medical facilities, easily accessed commodities and the familiar
friends of the past few years.
But they believed it was God's
will, and so they went. The letter announcing the move came from
Eldy. Was she hurting? Of course. They had a beautiful relationship,
and by the time you have spent so many years together, the thought
of being without the other is staggering.
But the letter from Eldy reflected
many years of leaning on the Lord - many years of recognizing
him daily and many years of giving up her life. She will be fine,
and then she, too will go. Her letter was calm, strong, and not
one little bit hyperspiritual. It was lean, real, and the
reader could see that as each day was passing, her leaf was growing
greener!
In the meantime, though Walt has
been in heaven only a few days, Eldy is starting a Bible study
for widows.
I guarantee, she has not blocked
out afternoon nap times and doesn't make any big provisions for
an aging body. She isn't a motor- mouth and it is easy to see
her servant's heart.
We need these examples. And as
long as the Lord tarries, we must be examples to others - grow
old, but grow green!
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