The Old Order Will Be Gone

The computer swallowed my co-worker! Yes, honestly it’s true. He pressed ‘control’ and ‘enter’ then disappeared from view. It devoured him completely; the thought just makes me squirm. He must have caught a virus or been eaten by a worm. I searched through the recycle bin and files of every kind; I even used the internet, but nothing did I find. In desperation, I asked Google, my searches to refine; the reply from that was negative, not a thing was found ‘online’. So, if inside your ‘inbox’ my co-worker you should see, please ‘copy’, ‘scan’ and ‘paste’ him, and send him back to me!

Life has many calamities that blow through unannounced at the most inopportune times. It could be adverse weather, a much needed vehicle that refuses to comply with our every wish, personal injury or illness, an appliance that gives up the ghost the same day you have invited guests to dinner and of course the one that everyone dreads, the unexpected death of a friend or family member. For years I’ve had to deal with the sudden debilitating horror of a lower back muscle spasm that puts everything I’m doing on hold until further notice. Last Sunday evening, just before crawling into bed, I bent over to plug my phone and charger together when I felt that unwanted twinge of pain wrench my brain stem. I thought at least it happened at the end of the day and a good night’s sleep will relax it and everything will be fine in the morning. The first move I made when I awoke was almost the last move I made all day, and the next two days. Time is the only fix, but I always feel old and worthless waiting to recover.

The other day I noticed on my Dairy Queen receipt, ‘Senior Discount’. Now who told that kid I was old enough to be eligible for such a thing? I’m not old! I’m the life of the party …even when it lasts till 8 p.m. Although I have to admit, I’m not the person I used to be. Half the time I’m ready to go home before I get to where I’m going. People say I’m grouchy. Not really. I just don’t like traffic, waiting in line, crowds, children or politicians. I’m a walking storeroom of facts …I’ve just lost the key to the storeroom. Why am I smiling all the time, you ask? I can’t hear a word you’re saying. Now aging may have something to do with a few noticeable changes in my life. Lately, I awake long before my body is ready to get out of bed. I’m sure everything I can’t find is in a secure place, and just ask me, because I’m always the first one to find the nearest restroom. And, I am discovering, old age ain’t for sissies.

[2 Peter 3] I don’t want to appear to be an alarmist, but, once again this past week I’ve been reminded that life is fragile and all too short, with the passing of a friend and brother in Christ. It’s that calamity that stops the world from turning for a time in the mind, until life brings us back into a hunger state of pressing on. But, it doesn’t have to be a calamity at all. Even though death is a time of sadness and great loss, in Christ, it’s also a time of gladness and celebration, for another believer has gone on to be with the Lord. For those who are prepared for the next stage of life, that which comes after death, a longing for the completion of this life, and the wanting to be with the Lord, grows with age and wisdom. I’m looking forward to the day when this pain in my backside will be no more. I’ll not have to endure disappointment and failure ever again, nor will I be saddened by deaths seeming finality. God is going to wipe away every tear. There’ll be no more death, pain or crying. The old order will be gone. (Rev. 21:3-4)