Just around the corner from where I grew up was a small maternity hospital, where my younger sister was born. Some years later it had become a nursing home for the elderly.
Our church Youth Group would visit there and hold services. Afterwards we would stay and chat to the residents.
It was always a challenge, as a teenager, to know how to bridge the gap between ourselves and those two (or more) generations removed from us. They seemed so “different”.
Being now part of that older generation it doesn’t seem like such a big gap: I still feel I am not all that much different from who I was as a teenager. Physically, maybe; but as a person, I feel like I am essentially the same person.
But I understand that, as a teenager, it can seem like a whole other world.
Hence, we sometimes stumbled in making conversation.
I remember one girl, about my age, doing her best to connect, talking to a group of two or three elderly women. “It must be wonderful to be here,” she remarked to her mainly bed-ridden or wheel-chair bound audience. “You don’t have to do any school work, you have all your needs taken care of; you don’t have to do anything.”
She meant well. And I admire how her audience handled it. One just looked to her companions, laughed good humouredly at my friend’s ignorance, and rolled her eyes ever so slightly.
“It must be wonderful to have nothing to do, to have all your needs met.”
No, it is not wonderful. It is a real struggle.
God designed us to work (Gen 2:15). He designed us to explore this world (Gen 2:19).
He designed us so that, even after the Fall, we would face everyday challenges that would, in His strength and by His grace, shape our character. “We glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (Rom 5:3-5)
Work! Exploring! Challenges!
These are all part and parcel of our story, without which our story becomes banal, dull, boring.
Perhaps that is the greatest challenge of all in old age – to have a story without work and without exploring; and even without all the previous challenges we rejoiced (afterwards at least) to have met in the strength God gave us and that gave rich meaning to our existence.
That is the greatest challenge of all – to be robbed of that.
Don’t envy those whose story has become banal, dull, boring. They face challenges you and I have never faced – yet.
Recently I found myself longing for some unique stresses in my own life to be over; at the same time I have known or heard of others facing far worse challenges in their own lives (so that they can’t even sleep for nights on end).
I found the following article by Peter Muturi Kimotho a great help to get things in perspective.
We love stories that leave us wanting to read more. It’s the surprises, the tension within and that desire to see how it’ll all end up that keeps us following.
If you fast forwarded the movie and opened the last chapter of the book you’d get the end but miss the experience.
Every chapter counts in the books that make for a great masterpiece. Every turn of events even when we don’t get it at the time builds the tension for a great narrative.
Why is it then that we like our stories to be flat? To get all our prayers answered the way we want, when we want and how we want them. To move from point A to Z on a straight line.
Most importantly why do we want to write our own stories when we are but characters in the grand master’s narrative?
I think our lives would be easier if we let him finish the story for us. We would be happier if we didn’t keep interrupting and voicing our opinions.
But the problem is we want to be the author of our own fate.
We are okay if the grand author does things the way we want. But the moment he starts going against our wishes, the moment he starts taking twists and turns we start getting angry. We start questioning his commitment to us, we doubt his sovereign hand and take matters to our hands.
Strange that sometimes we can be asking God to take charge when we are completely unwilling for him to suprise us.
It’s scary to give up control of our lives. To let another be the author of our story and that of our loved ones. We feel responsible and that only we truly care in this selfish age.
Problem is we know there’s so much beyond us. Even when we try our best we find that there are things we can’t change. We wish luck would be on our side but that doesn’t always happen. We get lucky this time but next time we face the music of this fallen world.
But instead of depending on lucky days the Bible calls us to entrust ourselves fully to another. To trust our Lord who doesn’t need to be lucky because he’s already in charge.
But more than that he’s the one who tells those who believe to trust that he’ll never leave us nor forsake us, see Hebrews 13:5-6. He’s the one who can truly and safely bring us to the last page of our book.
The question is whether we will trust him. We can either learn to surrender to him at all times or we’ll be forced to come to the reality of our inability after we’ve brought ourselves great despair.
May the Lord help us that we would let him write our story as he should. May he teach us the humility and calmness to accept the tension he weaves through our narrative. That he grant us the ability to trust him in the middle of the storm.
Trust him when the darkness of the tunnel looks long and the twists and turns leave us confused. To help us that in our helplessness we’ll remember we can trust in him.
Peter Muturi Kimotho. Christian. Husband. Ministry Training Facilitator at iServe Africa. Passionate about studying and teaching God's Word. Seeking to preach the Gospel and raise faithful Gospel workers in Kenya. Blogs at https://timetopreach.com/