Warning – Traps Ahead!
. . . I will fear no evil: for thou art with me (Psalm 23:4).
We are often told that the senior years of life are supposed to be the golden years—years of enjoying the fruits of our labor and handing the tools over to the next generation. Robert Browning describes these years as “the last of life for which the first was made” and comments that “the best is yet to be.” When we turn fifty or even sixty and are in good health, it is easy to romanticize these years and enjoy the privileges of being a “senior citizen,” but as the years go by—faster than we had anticipated—realism begins to set in and lead us into the path of two very common and disturbing traps: the trap of regret and the trap of fear. Falling into either of these traps can ruin the enjoyment of this very important time in our lives and destroy our peace and productiveness.
The Trap of Regret
The point of realization comes at different times to different people. It seems more traumatic, however, as we approach our seventieth year—God’s allotment of threescore and ten. Suddenly we are forced to confront our position: Even if by God’s grace we should live ten more years, seven-eighths of our journey is already over. We begin to look back on the road behind and to evaluate our progress. We remember words of encouragement or praise that came to mind but were never spoken, and we remember words spoken in anger that were never retracted. We mourn the unwise decisions, the selfish choices, and the missed opportunities. We wish we could redeem the unproductive hours, days, or years and the wasted resources. We fear that God will never be able to say to us, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”
Paul tells us to forget those things which are behind and to press on. The past is past. Deeds cannot be undone nor time retrieved. Time is in God’s hands, and a life that has been committed to Him is never wasted. God knows our hearts and our intentions as well as our deeds and our failures. He promised the Israelites to restore the years the locusts had eaten. He can do the same for us.
The Trap of Fear
When we come to terms with our past mistakes, we begin to look at the road ahead. It is not death that we fear if we love the Lord and yearn to be with Him. It is what comes before that gives us concern. What is ahead for us? Will the Lord give us one more year, or five, or ten or more? Will we retain our health, our strength, and our mental capacities until the end? Will we become dependent on our children for our physical or our financial well-being? Will we lose our mate and have to live alone, or will we go before him and leave him to the same fate? The resolution of all these questions is not in the distant future; it is fearfully imminent and cannot be easily dismissed. Spiritually, where do we stand? Have we been put “on the shelf” so that our usefulness is over, or can the Lord still use our diminished strength and productivity for His purposes? Can we continue to grow in spiritual maturity? Can we still have an influence on the lives of our children and grandchildren? The temptation often is to give up because the journey is almost over and we haven’t much time left to go forward. Satan would love to see us turn off our motor and just coast the rest of the way.
Our predicament is really no different from that of anyone else. None of us knows what tomorrow holds. So what is the answer? In the words of Oswald Chambers, “God never gives strength for tomorrow, or for the next hour, but only for the strain of the minute” (My Utmost for His Highest, Aug. 2). We cannot predict today how we will respond tomorrow when that inevitable strain comes upon us. But we can give our fears over to the Lord with the confidence that when strength is required He will be there to supply all that we need.
Avoiding the Traps
God has given us a road map for our journey—His Word. Over and over in Isaiah, God pleads with Israel to “fear not.” In Isaiah 30:15 he tells them, “In returning and rest shall ye be saved, in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength.” And in Isaiah 43:1–3 He says, “Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour.” He further promises, “And even to your old age I am he, and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you” (Isa. 46:4).
We, too, have been redeemed by the Lord, the Holy one of Israel, our Savior. If we belong to Him, we can claim these promises as ours. We can avoid the traps by pressing onward, secure in the knowledge that our past, our present, and our future are all in His wonderful and loving hands. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever (Psalm 23:6).
The late Betty Mitchell was a retired English teacher. She edited “Monday Morning Manna,” an e-mail devotional for the ladies of her church.
(Originally published in FrontLine • September/October 2008. Click here to subscribe to the magazine.)