Leadership Thought: Alan Jackson Tells Us How to Live Out Our Later Years.

Dear Friends

One of the things I love to do is to connect with old friends. Yesterday afternoon, I called a dear friend who was a part of the church I once served and  whom I had not seen for over 30 years. Turns out she is living in Panama City, Florida, only a few miles from where all 19 of our family-children and grandchildren-will spend a week this coming Christmas. She is exactly my age, so we had a lot of medical history to share, but getting beyond our various health challenges we had a wonderful time reminiscing about the times we spent together in  our former church. Turns out she even worships in the church all our family visited while spending Christmas there two years ago.

After praying together, she laughed and told me to read Ecclesiastes 12, a “senior citizens” chapter that I hadn’t read for some time. I read the words of the writer in a modern translation.

 ^3-5 In old age, your body no longer serves you so well.
Muscles slacken, grip weakens, joints stiffen.
The shades are pulled down on the world.
You can’t come and go at will. Things grind to a halt.
The hum of the household fades away.
You are wakened now by bird-song.
Hikes to the mountains are a thing of the past.
Even a stroll down the road has its terrors.
Your hair turns apple-blossom white,
Adorning a fragile and impotent matchstick body.
Yes, you’re well on your way to eternal rest,
While your friends make plans for your funeral.

Wow, as I read these words, I was reminded that they were not written for the aged in mind but for the young. These words were addressed to youth to remind them of what lies before them.

                     Honor and enjoy your Creator while you’re still young,
                    Before the years take their toll and your vigor wanes, (vs 1-2)

Ecclesiastes Chapter 12 Verses 1-7: Describe old age and are actually addressed to the youth (verse 1). The gradual darkening of the heavenly bodies represents declining vitality and joy. The approaching clouds represent the storms of old age (verse 2).

“Growing old is inevitable. Growing up is optional.” Perhaps you have heard these words or seen them  quoted on a t-shirt They are a reminder to all of us that how we age is a choice. We can see it as our enemy or we can behold it as our friend. It all depends on how we approach it. An aging body is a part of live but an aging attitude is a choice left to us. As you may know I am a classic country junkie, and the very day I called my Florida friend, I received an e-mail from a high school classmate reminding me of one who had made the right choice. Listen to the words of country singer, Alan Jackson.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFpdnZzOmF4

The older I get

The more I think

You only get a minute, better live while you're in it
'Cause it's gone in a blink
And the older I get
The truer it is
It's the people you love, not the money and stuff
That makes you rich

And if they found a fountain of youth
I wouldn't drink a drop and that's the truth
Funny how it feels I'm just getting to my best years yet

The older I get
The fewer friends I have
But you don't need a lot when the ones that you got
Have always got your back
And the older I get
The better I am
At knowing when to give
And when to just not give a damn

And if they found a fountain of youth
I wouldn't drink a drop and that's the truth
Funny how it feels I'm just getting to my best years yet
The older I get

And I don't mind all the lines
From all the times I've laughed and cried
Souvenirs and little signs of the life I've lived

The older I get
The longer I pray
I don't know why, I guess that I
Got more to say
And the older I get
The more thankful I feel
For the life I've had, and all the life I'm living still

That is the attitude I want to possess as I live out my remaining years, and whether young or old, I hope it might be yours as well.

Have a wonderful weekend,

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom