Today I learnt a salutary lesson.
I visited an old lady of 80 years of age. She has been very ill recently and age has had its toll … she walks very slowly with the aid of a stick. She can hardly move because of the pain … and just getting out of a chair is a Herculean task for her.
As she was shuffling from one room to another slowly, I offered to help. She declined gently and said defiantly: I will not be trapped in my own body.
Those words are still ringing in my ears. Her brain is as sharp as ever but she is hindered by her body.
I remember reading somewhere that scientists can’t find a good reason why we age – i.e. why not just shut down and die. What is the purpose of a continuous and painful aging process?
I suppose God allows aging so that the rest of us can help those less able than ourselves. What do you think?
IF ...
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Such certainly gives us opportunities to demonstrate acts of kindness in such situations.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately however, when sin entered the world, so did death by sin and along with it the aging process (with all it's aches and pains). Just this week, my own human frailty came to the fore when I started to experience severe neck pain. However, I thank God for the world of medicine and for the way He has given people the knowledge and ability to produce helps in the form of medicine. I have been helped tremendously with the aid of such; however, the whole experience has left me grateful for the times where I am pain free and has also once again given me a glimpse for a while into the everyday situation which many people suffer so I can at least empathise in part.