Jump Start # 1117

Titus 2:2 “Older men are to be temperate, dignified, sensible, sound in faith, in love, in perseverance.”

  Well it happened yesterday and I didn’t even know it. I went out to lunch to grab a quick bite to eat. I stuck the receipt in my wallet and didn’t look at it until this morning. And there it was on the ticket, plain as day, 10% senior discount. I didn’t ask for it. Nothing was said about it when I ordered. This is a first. Senior. She didn’t even ask. She knew. I must look it. That’s one of life’s WOW moments. There are many.

High school graduation is one. The seniors got out a week earlier than everyone else did, back when I graduated. I remember sleeping in as my brother and sister had to get up and go to school. I didn’t have to. Wow—that was different. Finished with high school.

Becoming a parent for the first time is another big wow event. I remember holding little Nathan and looking at him and thinking, what do I do know? I was afraid of dropping him or an arm coming off. He was the first baby I ever held. That was a wow moment.

Standing before an auditorium full of people who are staring at you and having to say something worthwhile, intelligent and helpful is a wow event. For many of us that first time, our knees knocked, our voice quivered, our hands shook, and we were terrified. Standing before audiences continues to be a wow moment for me. It never gets old.

Walking my daughter down the isle on her wedding day—that was a huge Wow event.

These moments remind us that life is moving, changing whether you want it to or not. We get older. We look “senior” even though we hate to admit that. Our parents age. Our kids grow up. Ecclesiastes tells us that a generation goes and a generation comes. Younger talent and younger ideas replace you. We are all headed to a grander place, a meeting with the Lord.

Our verse today, very fitting for me after discovering that other people now think I look like a senior citizen, reminds us that age is not an excuse for not fulfilling God’s purpose. Older men were to conduct themselves as if life, experience and especially the Lord had impacted their lives. They ought to show this. Temperate, dignified, sensible, sound—those are qualities of the heart. Those are choices, often made when younger, but developed and deepened when older. Being older is not an excuse for being cranky, abusive, mean, or sour. Many are. Many don’t like change. The ‘good old days’ were not that good nor golden. It took all day to do laundry and cook. Communication was slow. I have an antique typewriter that sits in my office. It’s a 1926 Underwood. It’s beautiful. Still works. What a pain it would be to write my Jump Starts on that thing. Sitting beside the typewriter is a 1906 Kellogg candlestick phone. There isn’t a dial on that old thing. A person had to click the operator to connect to the person you wanted to talk to. The phone is big, heavy and limited. No carrying that phone in your pocket. Good ole’ days? Cancer was the kiss of death back then. It’s not now. Good ole’ days—for some it was hot nights, because there was no air conditioning, outhouses, because there was no “in door” plumbing, travel was limited and expensive, houses were small, hand-me-downs were a necessity. Technology has made current life easier but not necessarily better. Morals have been tossed out along with common sense and absolutes. Today they smoke dope in Colorado, can marry the same sex, and are bothered more about the climate than what is going on in our souls. Every generation faces changes. Every generation sees new innovations that are helpful but not all changes are advancements. Some move us backwards as a society.

It’s easy to be cranky and complain when you are older. But don’t. God remains the same. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of the Lord abides forever. Isaiah said that. Peter borrowed that. Through the Egyptians, the Babylonians, the Greeks, the Romans, the European dynasties, the Germans, the Russians, the Americans—God remains upon the throne.

Time ought to smooth our rough edges. Walking with Jesus ought to make us better and wiser. As age shows in the face, godliness ought to show in our character. I am more concerned that someone recognizes me as a Christian than they do a senior. How do I conduct myself with my family and friends? How do I handle difficulties, differences and defeats? How am I out in the public? Am I a pain? Do I complain and whine a lot? Do I demand? Am I short with people? Do I threaten? Has time with Jesus taught me differently? Do I speak with kindness and genuine care? Am I less interested in myself and more interested in others? Does the big picture of Christ come before me often?

All of us are getting older? Are we getting better? Those are not the same? Our verse illustrates just one area of getting better. It isn’t exclusively for the aged, nor for just men. All of us need to be those things. Few things are worse than someone who has walked a long time with Jesus and are none the better. The two men on the road to Emmaus were certainly changed by a seven mile walk with Jesus. How about you? Does it show? Do people recognize that you belong to Christ?

Your character, your choices, your attitude, your words—they are demonstrations of what we really are. Walking with Jesus makes a difference if you will allow it. You notice things when you spend time with the Lord. The inner reflection becomes an outer manifestation.

Getting older…are you getting better?

Roger