Day Fifteen

Less than a week to go with the fast everyone!  Are you excited about that? I am praying you all are hearing from God during this amazing time.  God is on the move for sure.

God and I have been arguing.  He keeps sending me signs of where he wants me to focus, and I keep saying, “No, that is not really what I want to do!”  But through a lot of prayer and the help of a dear friend who is a good listener and an encourager, I am going to obey. My first thought was, I am too old for this!

Getting old can be a very difficult season in life.  Achy bones, sometimes illness, and the knowledge and realization that “I am not going to live forever.”  Let’s face it, when we are young we seldom think about getting old and dying. I remember when my mother, who was a very strong and energetic woman began failing and her health declined, I wondered how she managed to go on!  We don’t truly understand the challenges of growing old until we get here. 

The world tells us to fight getting older.  Billions of dollars are spent on products and drugs to get rid of wrinkles, fight hair loss, keep our brains sharp, etc.  .I believe that a good diet and exercise are very important if we want to stay healthy. But we will still grow old. 

I myself am banking on Psalm 92: 13-14:   13 Planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God   14They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green,

We have purpose in our older years.  God will use us if we allow Him to. We just need to quit listening to the world and to our own doubts and fears.  We need to stop dwelling on what we used to be able to do, but can’t any longer and focus on what we are able to do. God has purpose for all of us, and one person’s purpose is no more important that someone else’s. Grace, love, mercy and forgiveness are absolutely necessary for survival in this uncertain world -  especially when we are older.

So, early in the morning, while most people are still asleep, I talk to and listen to Jesus.  Each day I am excited about what that day might bring. I pray He reveals to me where he is working so I might join him.  I thank him for all the blessings he has given me in my life. I also thank him for some of the very hard times that he has brought me through.    Then I reach out to others who I feel may need encouragement. 

Get excited, my friends!  Our God loves us and wants us to get closer to Him- even when we are old and wrinkled. 

Jamie Ballou