Articles and poems to help as we struggle with the aging process.
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JUST FOR TODAY
by
Rebecca Somoskey
He knocked upon my door today. I ran to open wide.
There stood Yesterday*s Regret. I invited him inside.
He hovered in my shadow all the live long day,
Reminding me of past mistakes and he would not go away.
By night I was in anguish, my weary heart so sad.
I cried, *Dear Lord, please help me. My past has been so bad.*
My child,* He said. *Those things are gone, deep beneath the blue.
I don*t remember them at all. You must forget them too.*
She knocked upon my door today. Tomorrow*s Fear was waiting there.
*Come in,* I said, and opened wide. She was followed by Despair.
They rode upon my shoulders all the live long day,
Asking, *How will you?* and *What if?* They would not go away.
By night I felt so helpless. There seemed to be no way.
I cried, *Dear Lord, please help me. I can*t face another day.*
*My child,* He said. *Don*t e*er forget. Just remember how
I*ve not ceased to make provision always up till now.
When Regret or Fear comes knocking, refuse to open the door.
Live your life just for today, and they*ll return no more.*
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Counting Backward
by Rebecca Somoskey
Emory and I added the next larger number to our ages recently, and I wasn't exactly pleased. My Dad used to say "once a man, twice a child." I often scoffed at his attempt at humor, but now I understand perfectly. Only God knows when we reach the peak of our age and start sliding backward toward that inevitable time. Each person is different. One thing I know, I have long reached that peak and have already passed through my second childhood, and am staring infanthood square in the face. You know: no teeth, baby food, pampers, tantrums etc.
When I mentioned this to my son Mark, when he called on my birthday, he suggested that I stop counting forward and start counting backward. He meant it as a joke, but it was a nugget dropped into my thoughts by the Holy Spirit, and I have been meditating on it for several days. What if I counted backward each year from now on, but instead of remembering the losses that come with aging, I focused on the blessings? What if I refused to dwell on the pain, but instead focused on all the lessons I learned last year, and the spiritual growth I made? I would certainly have no time to feel sad or discouraged. After all, my earthly years will eventually pass but my spirit will live on forever, and with it the rewards that have come as a result of my growth. And just think about how much more effective I can be to the Kingdom.
Psalm 92:13 & 14 Tells us that those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing. (NKJV)
So, Dear Reader, if you find yourself staggering for no reason, forgetting your neighbor's first name or where you laid your glasses, if you can't see, taste, smell or hear like you used to do, and you've made a appointment with the dentist to have your teeth pulled, count backward. Count the prayers God has answered, the miracles He's wrought, the blessings you have enjoyed, and you can face the years ahead with joy and peace. The apostle Paul expressed it best in 2 Corinthians 4:16 when he wrote: Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. (NKJV)
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PRIVATE PAIN
by Rebecca Somoskey
Within the heart of every man
There dwells a private pain.
Shards of memory from the past,
Determined to remain.
Regrets that slash and rip and gash.
Piercing wounds, splintered dreams.
Sorrows hack and tear and claw.
Stabbing guilt, anger screams.
Why can we not be free of them?
Those squatters have no right
To stay ‘cause He’ll evict them
By His own power and might.
Perhaps we can’t be free because
Our sins we can’t forgive.
So drag those tyrants to His feet,
Turn loose, then freely live.
Unforgiveness means we have not let go of our anger, so forgive yourself.
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