Precious Life
This picture struck me the other day. It demonstrates the beginning of life and the end of life. Both are equally precious. The newborn/infant has the whole world ahead of it. All the life lessons, exciting times, and major disappointments. The elder has so much knowledge with decades of life lived and a failing body. What a blessing it is to live 70-90 decades on this earth. It is hard to imagine that some of the elders alive today may have lived without running water and plumbing in their homes. They didn’t grow up with computers or cell phones. AI? They couldn’t have imagined what that was or how AI would influence their lives and daily routines. The infant is born into the age of technology with self-driving cars, WiFi, and smart houses. Both will have had challenges by the time God brings them back home.
After the loss we have had this year alone, it makes me reflect on just how fragile life is. Many will never get to experience being an elder. Growing old is a true blessing that is taken for granted by most. We live in a society where the goal of life is to be successful. We are taught the importance of status. The size of your house and the car that you drive are a measure of your success in this society. Unfortunately, we do not value the woman who wants nothing more than to be a mother, a homemaker, a wife. We strive for equality and chasing the American dream. We are so busy trying to keep up with our neighbors, our friends, society, that in a blink of an eye, we are in our 40’s or 50’s. Life is different in the 4th/5th decades of life. A person starts to grasp the concept that their lives are more than half over. They start to become empty nesters and then grandparents. Life takes a dramatic turn when the house is no longer chaotic and eerily quiet. Missing the sounds of noisy feet and loud play haunts the mind. There are regrets of not appreciating every moment of the chaos instead of always wishing time would accelerate. And then before they know it, they are an elder with wrinkled skin and a diminishing body/mind.
Life is fragile and it is not guaranteed. For most people, the value of life and what is the most important changes with age. Some will chase the American dream until their last breath. But for many of us, the priority of life evolves. It is no longer about the size of the house or the money in the bank. It is about spending time with those that we love and cherish. Vacations become less about making a Facebook impression and more about seeing the many beautiful places God has created for us to enjoy while spending time with family and friends.
In a blink of an eye, life can change. A person can be in perfect health one minute and on then on death’s doorstep the next. Enjoy every second of life that God grants to you. Embrace the challenging times and relish in the wonderful moments we are given. But above all else, have a relationship with God. No one has a perfectly easy life. With God, family, and true friendships, life is not just bearable, but enjoyable. Appreciate and treasure today. Tomorrow is not promised.