It seems that most of us set markers in our lives to look forward to. Some of these are dreaded and feared events … failing a grade in school; losing a girlfriend; your first wreck; speeding ticket; confrontation with “the principal” for a much-deserved /undeserved spanking.
The past few years I began to think about turning 65 … woe is me! I had begun to ease into senior adult status around age 55-60, thanks to mailings from AARP. How did they know?
Senior adult? At least that’s what I’ve been telling them at the movie theater. But 65! That’s the end of the road to my thinking. Because of my history in church I’ve observed this phenomenon for a long time. Some day I would be eligible for The Keenagers, XYZ Club, or Triple L (Live Longer & Love It). And the names get even more creative. [Send me any other name of senior adult groups you have seen.]
Now, let me digress a little and think about some of the markers I most looked forward to … high school graduation; acceptance to college; finding the “right” woman to marry; children; grandchildren; great job; and the list goes on!
So, it has happened. I turned sixty-five! Oh wow!
If you know me, there’s a song coming … one that fits the moment. Earlier in life it might have been “Friends are Friends Forever.” But for now, this old song may say it best, “The Longer I Serve Him the Sweeter He Grows.”
The Longer I Serve Him
Since I started for the Kingdom,
Since my life He controls,
Since I gave my heart to Jesus,
The longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows.
Chorus
The longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows,
The more that I love Him, more love He bestows;
Each day is like heaven, my heart overflows,
The longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows.
Ev’ry need He is supplying,
Plenteous grace He bestows;
Ev’ry day my way gets brighter,
The longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows.
Chorus
The longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows,
The more that I love Him, more love He bestows;
Each day is like heaven, my heart overflows,
The longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows.
I have found these words to be true. I never tired of serving the Lord in the church. It was not a job to me, it was always a joy. That is what I always counted on, JOY in the church.
I guess that is what I am missing right now during this journey with cancer … serving the Lord with joy. It is not the same watching Live Stream on TV. Face to face with friends that will be your forever friends is what I miss the most. I hope that, if you are reading this, you have a church where the fellowship is the glue that brings you joy … or the church is why our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ died. The church is YOU.
“Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.” (Acts 20:28 NASB)
