THESE GOLDEN YEARS by Vicki Taylor

Honestly, I would have thought that by the time Babe and I got to our “golden years,” life would have slowed down and we could be enjoying our grandchildren, sitting in our easy chairs watching old movies, and just taking life, you know… easy. What was I thinking??? I certainly was not expecting all the angst and stress that has come into my life lately. And I know I am not alone in it either. A dear friend I was venting to the other day reminded me that God does this in order for us not to get too comfortable here. This is not our home. Good point. Perspective…I had lost mine momentarily. Finding my way back has not been easy. The daily grind wears on me, mentally, physically, and spiritually. I trust God for what He is doing that I cannot see, underneath the surface.  

I was reading in Isaiah 56:1 the other day and He so graciously encouraged me…“Maintain justice and do what is right, for my salvation is close at hand and my righteousness will soon be revealed.” I got so excited as I thanked Him for the salvation of this person who has been causing most of my discomfort. But He quickly stopped me and informed me that was not the point…“Do what is right.” Well, what was that all about? I thought I was doing “what was right.” Then He began to show me what He meant. My heart was full of angst and stress, along with bitterness and hurt caused by this person, and I was not letting it go. I couldn’t even get my head wrapped around it. He then took the time to begin dissecting that evil root of bitterness in my heart before it could grow deeper in my life and take root. He reminded me that I was not to wrap my head around my problems but to allow Him to wrap His arms around me, giving all of my problems to Him. It is a lesson I continue to learn.

I am also learning, albeit it slowly, that Kingdom work takes time. His ways are not our ways, nor is His time table our time table. We unfortunately live in this fast paced, instant society that expects results instantly. But God does not work that way. Growth takes time, and God wants to grow us to be like Him. 

Now, are we here to be comfortable in these golden years?  I don’t think so. As long as we can “run the race,” we need to be running. God will give us the strength and endurance to run. And all I know is that as long as I have breath, I want to do what pleases Him. That is my purpose here. I may not do it right, but I want to finish well. So when you see me “running” up and down the road, just remember that I’m running my race and heading toward the finish line. I’ll look for you when I get there, and we’ll celebrate the victory together with Christ.

“And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.”
Hebrews 12:1, 2 (NLT)