Two months ago today I had my 60th birthday. I would have thought that this milestone would be significant but so far there has not been much change. The accommodations to aging started some time ago. Reacting to my obsessive compulsive tendencies I made a list of all of my physical ailments that are on the increase due to age, but I can’t seem to remember where I placed it. Anyway, as one grows older it is expected that one would grow wiser. As I hopefully move toward becoming a wise ‘old’ sage, I look back and wonder if I have picked up any wisdom in these years. It seems that the older I get the more I seem to question and wonder about. So, I have learned to yield to one much older and wiser.
Thousands of years ago a man who had the wisdom, resources and ability to search and seek every avenue of life for answers wrote a book about his journey looking for answers to the best way to live. Ecclesiastes is the search for meaning and answers to life’s questions by one who not only had the wisdom, wealth, power and desire to seek every avenue of meaning and purpose in life. As I read his conclusions I am left with the following three conclusions.
One: It is not good to be alone. People, not things, are life’s most important pleasures. In my 60 years I have had the pleasure to travel to many parts of this world and meet people from all walks of life. I have discovered that people are truly the crowning glory of God’s creation. Jesus told us that all the commandments could be summed up as we love God with all our heart, soul and mind and love our neighbor as our self. Oh sure, there are some neighbors that are harder to love than others. But, if we will work on truly getting to know our neighbors and showing them love we will often find that we have opened the door to one of life’s greatest treasures. So spend your days developing, maintaining and growing relationships with the people around you. This is one of the greatest ways to invest your life.
Two: Accept pain as part of this life. This may not be as much fun as the first lesson but it is essential to finding meaning and purpose in your existence. Ecclesiastes names many hurts, injustices and instances of pain that we will experience as part of this life. We need to accept the reality that we live in a world that has been scarred by sin. Injustice and pain are part of this world. I often told my children, when they would gripe about things not being ‘fair’; “The only place you will find ‘fairness’ in this life is in the dictionary!” (Thankfully they still love me). We are prone to seek to avoid pain with pills, alcohol or rebellious behavior (all of which often lead to more pain). One cannot avoid pain and live. Dead people are the only ones who truly feel no pain. God may allow and often use pain to teach. Hebrews 2:10 tells us that pain was used to teach and make Jesus perfect. Pain is often the sign that change is needed. As I write this a friend is undergoing a medical procedure due to pain. They finally realized the pain is an indication of a life change that is necessary. When pain comes it is important to discern if the pain is due to the sin scarred world in which we live or do I need to ask “Is there something God may be teaching or saying to me in this situation?”
Three: Make the most of each moment! As the author of Ecclesiastes indicates, I have learned that life does not consist of great events as much as everyday moments. Life is lived best by laughing & finding joy in each moment. Rabbi Harold Kushner, in his book ‘When All You’ve Ever Wanted Wasn’t Isn’t Enough’, writes of an interview with an elderly woman who reflected on her long life and said, “If I had to live my life over, I would dare to make more mistakes next time. I would relax. I would be sillier. I would take things less seriously. I would eat more ice cream and less beans. You see I am one of those people who lived seriously and sanely hour after hour, day after day, who never went anyplace without a thermometer, hot water bottle, raincoat or parachute. If I had it to do over again, I’d travel lighter.”
Long before I became 60 preached my first sermon on John 10:10 where Jesus said, “I came that they may have life and have it more abundantly”. I learned the best life places faith in Him remembering the importance of loving and enjoying the people I meet, learning and making the best of the difficult times while I enjoy making the most of each moment. So, as one who is still working to be a wise old sage, I borrow from my predecessor in Ecclesiastes as I “go and eat my bread with gladness” as well as my ‘sister’ who taught me to “eat more ice cream and less beans”! Have fun!
