Dear…
‘What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? Shall it declare Thy truth?
Hear, O Lord, and have mercy upon me. Lord, be Thou my helper.’
Psalm 30:9-10
These past few days I have traipsed round the various institutional facilities that look after the aged. It has been an enlightening yet sobering experience for me, to witness for myself the possible future that awaits the still spunky but increasingly creaky us, for Father time will catch up with all of us.
Blood and sweat might oft be the price many are willing to pay to attain riches and recognition, but as Psalm 30:9 so succinctly remind us, when we breathe our last, and are co-mingled with the dust, does our past achievements truly matter?
‘For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing: my strength faileth because of mine iniquity, and my bones are consumed.’
Psalm 31:10
To be able to age gracefully and to die peacefully and painlessly, that is a thought few give much space to in our present living, for death is a taboo for many, and there are more compelling distractions for the present. Yet, it will do one good to make that rare side trip to the places where the aged are cared for to help one reformulate one’s priorities in life and reexamine one’s state of readiness when our outer shell deteriorates and more importantly, what comes after when our system shuts down?
‘Be diligent to present yourself approved to God...’
2 Timothy 2:15
Would amnesia be a good option when you meet God in the afterlife? Dementia is a growing trend globally. It is also possible that the increase in statistics is due to greater awareness of what ails many. To forget the difficult past is a delectable option for many a troubled soul but it weighs heavily on one’s care givers, who are not just burdened by the physical demands of looking after you, but also the sense of angst of you forgetting past shared relationships. But it grieves God our loving Father even more, that many who still retain their faculties, have long forgotten the possibility of a relationship with Him, as their minds have long been captured by the delusions of this sinful world. At a home I visited, they have a mock bus stop set up with bus no. 3 as designated service provider. This is an outlet for dementia patients, who somehow in their DNA still retain the desire to go home, for much as they are permanently ensconced at the nursing home. A delusion this might be, but necessary to ensure that dementia patients do not vent their frustrations when told the truth that home is where they now are. In us, the cognitive living being, is the same DNA that God has placed in our hearts, to want to seek that relationship with Him. Much as this desire might be subsumed by the potent mix of our carnality and the devil’s delusion, it is simmering, and if we are willing, God will help us break free.
‘Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.’
2 Corinthians 4:10
Morbid it might seem, but as shared previously, I do take time to read the daily obituaries in the newspapers and at wakes, I do take a close look at the now lifeless shell. Judgmental prayerfully I am not, but I always like to look for clues from the words expressed in the obituary and from the expression beyond the skilful hands of the embalmer, the life that this once living soul had led. Faithful followers of our Lord Jesus Christ will carry the countenance of a heart filled with joy and inner peace, that will be expressed in both their physical expressions as well as etched on the lives of others God placed in their lives and I have come to believe and know that it is true.
‘We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.’
2 Corinthians 5:8
Care for the elderly is a broad catchword for the myriad of needs. From simple day care centers(no different from nurseries for toddlers, indeed how we go one full cycle), to nursing homes where more care and attention is needed, to community hospitals where longer term medical maintenance is essential, to acute Hospitals for dealing with immediate and urgent medical conditions and ending with Hospices(where healing is more for the soul than for the body).
Three days worth of intense visits on the ground does not make me an expert to advise all us future old foggy on choice of facility, but it does get me thinking, and prayerfully, may the closing thoughts shared be truly from our Lord, and may you take time to reflect and respond to, while we still have the time.
‘He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord, and that which he hath given will He pay him again.’
Proverbs 19:17
One common impression that struck me in all these facilities that I had the privilege to visit as well as go into in depth discussion with the key personnel running it, is the dearth of resources in the face of increasing overwhelming needs. These are all charitable run institutions, where success is not measured by how much material profits one makes, but how much love can we give and receive? And on the latter, it is something to be thankful for that in an increasingly clinical Singapore, we still have, albeit a minority, well trained committed professionals who are willing to answer their call to service. And also to be thankful that we can still draw on the human capital of our more impoverished neighbors to provide the necessary labor in this very demanding industry.
‘…….The borrower is a slave to the lender’
Proverbs 22:7
We are all living on borrowed time. And like Dr Faustus, the devil will eventually want us to account for the debt we owe him or it, for much as the world is temporal, he wants our soul for eternity for the short-lived carnal gratification we sinfully seek. One haunting image of all these homes I visited is the lack of spirit or sense of purpose in many of the aged. It is understandable if one’s life revolves around things of the world, as our natural senses deteriorates, much as our soul is very much alive, our spirit starts to lose its will and one waits to die. But it need not be this way, for life need not end with death, for eternity awaits us.
Can we as faithful followers of our Lord Jesus Christ, be different because we have lived our active life differently and have come to know a loving and Sovereign God, Who has prepared our hearts and has make ready a place in Heaven for us? Yes we can, but the preparation of being made ready is now and not till the lights in our lives are dimming. Do that and we will like the Psalmist gladly proclaim the joyful truth that
‘Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased. I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep, for Thou, Lord only makest me dwell in safety.’
Psalm 4:7-8
Without God, once we are out of the limelight, the twilight zone that we find ourselves in is indeed depressing. With Christ as our Lord, every moment is a joyful highlight in our blessed life.
‘So then death worketh in us, but life in you.’
2 Corinthians 4:12
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
8th Nov 10
Aging successfully
God always surprises me with His prescience, and as I complete this sharing, I was reminded of the recent receipt of the latest copy of "Uncommon voices" - the quarterly publication by the Methodist Welfare Services. And by coincidence, it was a special edition on aging.
Lots of interesting articles garnered from interviews with those on the field working with the aged, but let me just share a couple of gems of truth, that may encourage you to take time to read this very meaningful publication.
"we cannot add days to our lives, but we can add life to our days"
How true this comment is, and in living a life that honors God, He will truly bring joy and inner peace to our days.
Successful aging is
- to borrow a verse from the Bible '..to be ready for every good work' (Titus 3:1)
- to plant our lives in the right places as the Spirit of God leads us
'The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree. He shall grow like the cedar in Lebanon. Those who are planted in the house of the Lord. Shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age. They shall be fresh and flourishing. To declare that the Lord is upright. He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.'
Psalm 92:12-15
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