鈥淢om, my finger鈥� my finger鈥� it hurts,鈥� Evan screamed. 鈥淨uick, get it out, get it out!鈥澨� I took his hand and gently turned it to see what had happened.听 It looked like a sliver had got lodged in there but I couldn鈥檛 see it clearly, so I pulled his hand closer and squinted.听 That made it worse.听 I pulled and pushed his hand closer鈥� farther鈥� closer鈥� farther鈥� nothing worked.听 It was too small to see and I couldn鈥檛 get that sliver out!听 I had to call in reinforcements! 听鈥淪arah, come help me please? I can鈥檛 see this.鈥� After the offensive invader was removed by his big sister, Evan went on his way with a sniff.听 I started going around the room picking things up and bringing them closer to my face.听 Oh my gosh, everything blurred when it got too close.
When did that happen?听听 I went to the eye doctor and told him about my dilemma.听 Do you know what he had the gall to say to me?听 鈥淲ell, that happens when you get older. What?
听鈥淢om, can鈥檛 you listen for Sean while David and I go out?鈥� my daughter asked.
鈥淪ure, no problem, I鈥檒l be up for a while.鈥� I assured her.听 A little later Ed came out of the shower.听 鈥淜athie, can鈥檛 you hear Sean crying?鈥澨� 听
鈥淣o,鈥� I answered.听 鈥淗e鈥檚 not crying.听 What are you talking about?鈥� I asked.听
He looked at me oddly and said, 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 hear that?鈥�
鈥淣o鈥� I got up and went out of the bedroom and as I got closer to the stairs I could hear crying 鈥� loud crying.听 By the time I raced down to the room that my grandson was sleeping in he was in such a state of agitation, it took me ages to calm him down.听
After that episode I began to put the clues together. I went to the doctor and she sent me for a hearing test.听 She said, 鈥淲ell, you鈥檙e getting to that age.鈥澨�
If one more person says that to me I think I鈥檒l scream.听 When did I get to 鈥淭hat AgeI can鈥檛 help myself from wondering if somewhere along the way I entered a time machine and ended up in the wrong decade.听 One day I went to bed after putting on my facial cream and woke up the next day wrinkled.听 I need to get my money back on that stuff.听
I suppose I鈥檓 going to have to get used to this idea of being 鈥淭HAT age.鈥澨� Half of my life is gone, used up, over, finito! 听听Wait! I haven鈥檛 become a published author! I haven鈥檛 saved the world yet! I fretted.听 Turning to God鈥檚 word I found many old friends. Noah, he lived till he was 500 years old.听 Can you imagine the wrinkles he had?听 And they didn鈥檛 have bifocals back then.听 And then Sarah, having a baby in her 90鈥檚.听 I had my last one at 41 and that was hard enough.听 听OK, God can still use me 鈥� I still have lots of time left to leave my big mark on the world.听 Psalm 92 says that
鈥淭he Righteous will grow old and bear fruit鈥� and the book of Isaiah says, 鈥淓ven to your old age and grey hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.鈥澨�
I can鈥檛 tell you what a relief it is to know God walks with us through the changes life brings, giving us courage and strength.听 I can sure use it!
*This article was also published in the Faith Forum section of the print edition sa国际传媒, and in the online edition 听, Saturday July 27 2013
Major Kathy Chiuis a writer. preacher. Salvation Army Officer. Passionate about God's Word, family...and of course knitting. Currently the Executive Director at The Salvation Army Victoria Addictions & Rehabilitation Centre. Regularly blogging over at听听.
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You can read more articles from our interfaith blog, Spiritually Speaking
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