Near the end
of the Gospel of John (21:15-19), Jesus tells Peter things will be changing for
him in a few years. He will get older and lose his freedom to choose. People
will bind him and take him where he does not want to go. This week my family is
taking the first steps in preparing to move my parents from an assisted living
community where a reasonable amount of freedom exists to a new residence where
the restrictions will be much greater. This is not a fun time.
As a little
boy on the farm I never thought about taxes. I never gave much thought about
the price of beef or pork. The ideas of insurance and long term health care
were the farthest things from my mind. If those things needed to be considered,
then my parents took care of that. I had ball games to play and unexplored
territory to cover and unfortunately tobacco to hoe. Now the roles are
reversed. Pop is no longer concerned about the price of hogs or tobacco. Paying
the insurance bills is someone else’s responsibility. My sibling and I have to
make the hard decisions.
I remember
seeing my father in those early days sitting at his desk and going over books I
didn’t recognize. Later I learned those were checkbooks, state crop reports,
and documents showing animal stock market price trends. There were magazines
with information on crop seed, weed control, and pesticides. All were topics
that held little interest for an eight-year-old boy, but were critical for the
one having to make the hard decisions. Now I’m reading documents on elder law,
Medicare, and Medicaid. There are not only the rules, regulations, and what to prioritize, but also the emotions.
For an hour
and a half I listened to and questioned an expert on local nursing homes and
the essential elements to be considered when choosing a new residence for my parents.
The basics like sanitation and house rules were reviewed. The stability of
local administration was a factor to be given weight. The government
restrictions in the financial realm were covered. Millionaires might not have
to worry about such things. The rest of us do.
The book of
Ecclesiastes in the Old Testament is not one often studied which is a shame. It
is one of the most human writings in the Bible. The author does not fear to
express his frustration with life. He sees beyond the limits of materialism and
earthly power. He recognizes that for life to have meaning it cannot be
grounded in anything limited to this world. His search for meaning reflects
that of all humanity. He has much to teach us.
In the last
chapter the Teacher of Ecclesiastes gives a poignant description of old age.
(Ecclesiastes 12:1-8) With graphic images he speaks of physical deterioration
and the loss of emotional control. As with the words of Jesus to Peter, there
comes a time when someone else will make the decisions for us, and things will
not be as we might wish. Someone else will become the parent and we will once
more be the child.
Proverbs
3:3-6 can prepare us for those days. With love, faithfulness, and trust in God
as the foundational pillars in our lives, we can face those days with an
assurance that things will be in the hands of God. Keep love and faithfulness
close to your heart. Look to the One who has your best interest in mind all the
time. Depend upon the One who has the answer to every life situation that will
bring you closer to his will for your life. Trust the One who was there with you
in the beginning and will be with you through the end. Trust the One with
divine wisdom to help you with every decision.
