Preparing for Winter (The Next Season)

Mark Dunagan
08/28/11 - Sunday Morning

Preparing for Winter
The Next Season

In this country one of the challenges we face is that of an aging population.  For example, in the year 2000 around 12 percent of the population was over age 65, by the year 2030, people over 65 will comprise almost 20 percent of the population.  In the book of Ecclesiastes we are given a very detailed description of a person who is growing older:

“Before the sun, the light, and the moon, and the stars are darkened, and the clouds return after the rain; in the day that the watch-men of the house tremble, and mighty men stoop, the grinding ones stand idle because they are few, and those who look through windows grow dim; and the doors on the street are shut as the sound of the grinding mill is low, and one will rise at the sound of the bird, and all the daughters of song will sing softly.  Furthermore, men are afraid of a high place and of terrors on the road; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags himself along, and the caperberry is ineffective.  For man goes to his eternal home while mourners go about in the street” (Ecclesiastes 12:2-5).

Specifics

• “Before the sun, the light, and the moon, and the stars are darkened”:  The picture is one of steady decline. 
• “Clouds return after the rain”:  One problem or complication seems to follow another.  The resiliency of youth is now gone.
• “Watch-men of the house tremble:  The human body becomes like a former great house now in decline, the watch-men, maybe the arms and hands now begin to grow weak and tremble.
• “Mighty-men stoop”:  The legs grow weak and one is more bent over as they walk.
• “The grinding ones stand idle”:  One faces increasing dental challenges.
• “Those who look through windows grow dim”:  Eyesight fails.
• “The doors of the street are shut”: This could be a reference to the tendency to withdraw from the outside world as one ages.
• “One will arise at the sound of a bird”:  It is hard to sleep.  A paradox of old age.  One cannot hear well—but is disturbed by the smallest sound when sleeping.
• “Men are afraid of a high place”:  There is the fear of falling and breaking a hip.
• “Of terrors on the road”:  One feels vulnerable, does not like to drive at night.
• “The almond tree blossoms”:  The hair turns white. 

These verses may sound discouraging, and yet aging for the Christian does not have to be an unpleasant or depressing experience.  In fact, God has perfectly set things up so that His people can age gracefully and enjoy this period of life as well as all others.

Increased Strength

“Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16).

Our body is only one aspect of our nature.  As we age as Christians we are growing wiser and stronger in our faith.  So only a smaller part of us might be getting weaker, the bulk of us is growing stronger every year.  In fact, studies seem to back up Paul’s statement in the above verse. A recent Gallup poll has found that people generally get happier as they age. Published two weeks ago, the survey reveals: "Worry stays fairly steady until 50, then sharply drops off . . . . Enjoyment and happiness both decrease gradually until we hit 50, rise steadily for the next 25 years, and then decline very slightly at the end, but they never again reach the low point of our early 50s."  If this is true for people in general, how much for believers!  Thus the good news is that 30 or 50 is not over the hill, or in other terms, what is over that hill after 50?  Increased happiness!

Each Day Getting Brighter

“Knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us that when we believed” (Romans 13:14).

For Christians our major accomplishments or life goals are not all past, in fact, the most important of our life goals is still future and getting nearer with each passing day. 

Real Beauty

“Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised” (Proverbs 30:30). 

For all our Christian life we already knew not to put all the emphasis on how we looked on the outside.  We have known for a long time that physical beauty is temporary, and yet we have equally learned to appreciate a real inner beauty.  “The glory of young men is their strength, and the honor (glory) of old men is their gray hair” (Proverbs 20:29).   We admire and can appreciate the vigor of young men, the verse exhorts us to equally appreciate and see the value and beauty of an older and wise man.  I equally think that as a society we have made a huge mistake in worshipping being young.  I would find it unreasonable to think that God designed us only to be attractive in our teens or twenties. 

Ready for Death

“And might deliver those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives” (Hebrews 2:15).  “Who abolished death, and  brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Timothy 1:10).

• Jesus has removed much of the mystery surrounding death.  We are given a pretty clear picture of what happens when we die (Luke 16:19ff; Philippians 1:21-23).
• With Jesus’ teachings to follow and His blood to forgive us when we sin, we can approach meeting God with confidence (Hebrews 4:14-16).
• He abolished death for us, not the sense that we never die, but rather in the sense that we only remain dead for a while.  Death has no permanent hold on us.  We are going to be resurrected!  So, the old statement that nothing is certain but death and taxes is not accurate, neither of these things are certain—for both may not exist tomorrow!
• In addition, for the believer, death brings wonderful blessings, and one of them includes the end of the struggle against sin.

Plenty of Meaning Work to Do

The aging Paul said that if the Lord decided to allow him to keep on living, then the future for him on this earth would involve “fruitful labor” (Philippians 1:22).   I am convinced that aging only brings with it more opportunities to be useful to the Master (2 Timothy 2:21).   If we consider a number of the Heroes of faith, many of them did their greatest work later in life:

• Noah—after 500
• Abraham—after 75
• Moses---after 80

Exercising the Mind

Study after study I have seen speaks of the benefits of continuing to read or exercise your mind and how that affects your health in later years.  God has perfectly positioned us here as well.  For our entire Christian lives we have been doing a lot of spiritual and mental exercise (Hebrews 5:14).  So never resent a class or sermon that really demands that you do some thinking.  Dealing with hard questions or working through an issue---is good for you!

A Danger to Avoid

In Ecclesiastes chapter 12, the section on aging seems to present at least twice the danger of withdrawing from society as one grows older (12:4, 5).  I have seen this in a number of people, especially non-Christians.  Their circle of friends and influence grows increasingly smaller as they age and they end up very limited in what they do, where they go and who they associate with.  What can we do right now to see to it that we don’t fall into this trap, because the world needs us, and the last thing we need to be doing is withdrawing our light and salt (Matthew 5:13-16).  The following are some practical steps, things you can do right now:

• Branch out now, get in the habit of volunteering in the community.  You can do this at a school, library, police station, park, and so on.  Christians are made to be great volunteers.  We have good people skills, we like people, we are responsible, we are givers, we are dependable, we give back, and we care what happens to people.
• Join a club or start one. 
• Pursue a new interest, get into a different circle of people that you haven’t be in before.  More than one group of people needs your influence, and so branch out and be involved in varied interests that may involve entirely different groups of people.
• Explore other parts of town.  Try different routes home.  Try different places to eat or shop.
• Be seen.  Check out the community events calendar and then try new things.
• Go into areas of town where there are no congregations.  Explore and do business in different areas of Beaverton or Portland.  Go to where the people are (Matthew 28:19).
• Do it while you can.
• Be reasonably seeking to take good care of your body now.  Get some exercise, eat a reasonable diet, seek to stay in good health.  Growing older does not have to involve limited movement (Deuteronomy 34:7).  Do what you can to see to it that even when you are older, you still have energy.
• Continue to work with the younger generation.  You have the wisdom they need and I am convinced that spending time with younger people helps keep a person from becoming old on the inside.
• Long for the right kind of retirement.  Avoid the “I want to be free from responsibility” and do my favorite hobby all the time.  Rather, retire from one activity and pick up another---the meaningful work you have wanted to have more time to do all the time.  Like mentoring younger people, helping others, having more people over, evangelizing, teaching, writing, and so on.