There are a couple of real life situations that have happened in my life over the past year that have made me disappointed in the older generation - that which is suppose to be teaching us in the younger generations. Titus 2:3-5 says "Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, . . .so that the word of God will not be dishonored." The MOPS group at my church had to dissolve because there were not enough people willing to work in the MOPPETS program. MOPS was two days a month for about 2 hours. FOUR HOURS a month is all the time help was needed. We disbanded because the moms were doing the child care instead of in their meeting where they would be getting a much needed rest from the busyness of raising children, getting some rare adult-only conversation, getting a little but important break. This summer our (now ex) neighbor was busy trying to help plan VBS for her church, which she has done in the past. However, when she approached a group of older women to ask them to help they responded (paraphrase), with laughter, "Oh, we did our time. Now it's your turn." Yah - didn't realize there was "time" to help with VBS - ONE WEEK of helping. One Week. ONE WEEK! (And that's only 3hrs-ish a day). Really. Needless to say, this rather large church did not host a VBS this year because there was not enough volunteers.
Yeah, I'm a bit disappointed <--- is an understatement, I guess.
"There's something we notice about high achievers. They never retire; the fire in their belly simply doesn't let them slow down. This is doubly true of God's top servants. Study the life of any of the men and women who have had a profound impact for God, and you'll see they were as active as ever right up to the last day God gave them on this planet. Billy Graham has often remarked that the Lord doesn't give retirement parties and gold watches - and these soldiers of the gospel wouldn't have it any other way because the passion burns intensely within them."
(Life Wide Open by David Jeremiah)
Dr. David Jeremiah in above mentioned book goes on to give the Biblical example of Caleb, who was 85 years old when he entered the promised land and while his life before that consisted of "three Ds: desert, death, and discouragement" he didn't lose the fire. "All his contemporaries were dying. You might remember that a condition for entering the Promised Land was that all of the unfaithful generation - the one the shied away from giants - had to die before God would permit the crossing of the Jordan. It took thirty-eight wilderness years for that to happen. Caleb grew older as he waited through the decades, checking the obituaries every day and seeing the last of his old friends die."
"And now, behold, the LORD has kept me alive, as He said, these forty-five years, ever since the LORD spoke this word to Moses while Israel wandered in the wilderness; and now, here I am this day, eighty-five years old. As yet I am as strong this day as on the day that Moses sent me, just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for going out and for coming in." - Joshua 14:10-11
How many 85-year olds have that kind of passion for doing God's work do you know? How many 40-year olds? I hope you know more than I do.
Quoting Bruce Larson in Dr. Jeremiah's book:
"A life of safety is no life at all, whatever your vocation. Still, we are programmed from an early age to start providing for a safe and secure future. Through pension funds and retirement benefits, we work toward removing all risk from our lives by the time we are 65. Yet in the three societies sociologists have studied where people normally live to 100 and frequently to 120, there is no special treatment for the aged . . . Scientists who have studied these societies have found that they have nothing in common in terms of climate, diet, geography or lifestyle. But in all three places, the inhabitants are expected to live normal lives with no cushion for safety. They continue to work, tend fields and keep shops until they die at 100 plus. I am convinced that God never invented old age. Death is a gift, but old age is man's invention. It is a cultural blight in our lifetime."
I'm so tired of seeing a lack of passion for the work of God and so very tired of hearing about retirement and 401K plans. There are more important things to be sooo concerned about. Such as the Great Commission, for starters. Maybe it's a good thing that my generation will probably never be able to retire. We might live to 100 and be actively serving at the same time.
This is not to say that I don't know ANYONE with such a lack of passion. I can think of some quality individuals who have continued to serve pre- and post-retirement age. They truly inspire me. And I am forever grateful to them for their work, the work they do for the Lord. They serve my kids in Sunday School and Children's Church. They serve in the nursery though their years of having babies is long gone. They continue to pastor their church because the burden for saved souls is so great, they can't give it up, not yet. They still volunteer to help with VBS even though the energy from a group of wound-up, excited little kids can be incredibly overwhelming. To these people: THANK YOU!
1 comments:
I run into a lot of that "I've done my time" sentiment too. It is extremely frustrating. We have not yet had to stop a program due to lack of volunteers, BUT we ARE over-using those that serve faithfully and never get a break. At some point, they are going to feel overburdened and not really be engaged in ministry anymore.
It is really sad that talented, capable people refuse to serve.
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