No. 169 - YOU TELL ME I'M GETTING OLD
No. 169
Jim Davidson...NEWSPAPER COLUMN
YOU TELL ME I'M GETTING OLD
It's often been said that "Age is mind over matter; if you don't mind, it doesn't matter." There is a great deal of truth in the saying, "you're only as old as you feel." To feel good most of the time is a blessing that most of us take for granted. When it comes to the subject of old age, someone once said, "Old age is a club that with luck we will all join."
I'm looking forward to it, aren't you? You may respond by saying, "I'm already old." This may be true in a chronological sense, because based on the letters and phone calls we receive, I know many of my readers are elderly people. Did you notice how I switched terms? There is a vast difference between being elderly and being old. This is to say we get old when it comes to our thinking and our ideas.
What prompted these thoughts was a poem I ran across the other day written by Dora Johnson titled, You Tell Me I'm Getting Old. While reading this poem I discovered it contained a profound message and I would like to share it with you. Even if you are not elderly, just be patient because your time will probably come. It's my sincere hope that this poem will be a source of great encouragement for you.
YOU TELL ME I'M GETTING OLD
"You tell me I'm getting old. I tell you that's not so! The house I live in is worn out, and that of course, I know. It's been in use a long, long while; it's weathered many a gale; I'm really not surprised you think it's getting somewhat frail. The color's changing on the roof, the window's getting dim. The wall's a bit transparent and looking rather thin. The foundation not so steady as once it use to be. My house is getting shaky, but my house isn't me. My few short years can't make me old. I feel in my youth, eternity lies ahead, a life of joy and truth. I'm going to live forever there; life will go on, it's grand. You tell me I'm getting old, you just don't understand. The dweller in my little house is young and bright and happy; Just starting on a life to last throughout eternal day. You only see the outside, which is all that most folks see. You tell me I'm getting old, you've mixed my house with me."
The message this poem contains is very clear. For Dora Johnson and those of us who have experienced the free gift of eternal salvation made possible through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, life will go on for eternity. While this is a very personal decision and this is between you and your God, I care about you and where you will spend eternity.
In reality, every book must have a final chapter, just as every person's life will someday come to an end. To me, it would be tragic to pursue our goals in life and strive to achieve success and then get to the final chapter and discover that we had missed the whole point of life. I hope you understand that every important decision you make is your own personal affair but whether you are a religious person or not, physical death is something that sooner or later we all must face.
While we are here, however, we should make the most of each day. I would like to leave you with these thoughts by Ralph Waldo Emerson: "Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense. The day is all that is good and fair. It is too dear with its hopes and invitations to waste a moment on yesteryears." (Jim Davidson is a motivational speaker and syndicated columnist. You may contact him at 2 Bentley Drive, Conway, AR 72034.)
