By Mr Lee Kok Wah
One afternoon, shortly after this year’s Primary One Registration Exercise had ended, my wife and I recalled the days of parenting our three young children in primary school some 20 to 30 years ago. Next year, our granddaughter will be starting Primary One. It seemed like only yesterday that she was learning to walk. As Grace grows up, Har Eng and I will grow older – gracefully, we hope.
“The days are long, but the years are short”, a saying attributed to Gretchen Rubin, is often associated with the experience of parenting. Here are several other “quotable quotes” about the passage of time.
“Lord…teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Moses).
“One day, you’re 17 and you’re planning for someday. And then quietly, without you ever really noticing, someday is today. And then someday is yesterday. And this is your life” (John Green).
“Yesterday is but today’s memory, and tomorrow is today’s dream” (Khalil Gibran).
“Time flies over us but leaves its shadow behind” (Nathaniel Hawthorne).
“In the end it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years” (Abraham Lincoln).
“I don’t let my age define me, but the side effects are getting harder to ignore” (Unknown).
“Count your age by friends, not years. Count your life by smiles, not tears” (John Lennon).
“Growing old is mandatory, but growing up is optional” (Walt Disney).
“Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be” (Robert Browning).
Let Browning’s invitation be one that we extend to one another in The Bible Church Singapore. Growing older is a journey – not only for the human body but also for the human spirit – but we do not need to travel alone. Becoming like Jesus Christ is the will of God for every person. For the pre-believer, the journey of spiritual transformation begins with a relationship with Jesus Christ. For the Christian, the journey continues as we follow Jesus to the end.
Growing Old Gracefully: Following Jesus to the End (Discovery House, 2019) was written by Bishop Emeritus Robert M. Solomon to offer a fresh perspective on aging. This book is divided into five parts covering key themes that we should think about as we grow older.
Part 1 explores life as a spiritual journey and how aging is an important part of it. We are pointed to some of the tasks and processes that we should be thinking of as we grow older.
Part 2 focuses on spiritual habits. Certain spiritual disciplines are “understood as habits of responsiveness to God’s grace” and these practices result in aligning us with Christ and his Kingdom.
Part 3 leads us to reflect on the relationships in our lives and how these become more obvious and necessary in old age.
Part 4 examines the frailties, pain and suffering of old age in a realistic way and guides us in managing our growing weaknesses in a biblical way.
Part 5, the final section titled “Thinking of Heaven”, directs our attention to our eternal home – heaven.
Owning a copy of this book is good. Reading it is better. Living out the principles explained therein is best. Would you like to meet the author and hear from the Bishop’s mouth?
The School of Continuing Education (SCE) and the Seniors Ministry will host a day retreat – Growing Old Gracefully; Following Jesus To The End – on 30th November 2024 (Saturday), with Bishop Robert Solomon as our speaker, for us to reflect on the key themes covered by the book. Do look out for more details in our e-bulletin notices and worship service announcements. Whether you are nineteen or ninety or at any age in between, do come for this retreat. And bring a friend along!
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