Let My People Laugh: The Sequel

Maybe it’s just me, but lately it seems we’re hearing a lot of prayer requests for health issues, everything from navigating safely through pregnancy all the way to the replacement of body parts. One conclusion that is irrefutable is that these bodies of ours do not carry an unlimited warranty. They do, eventually, break down and wear out. There is an expiration date on every one of them, so the delaying of that inevitability seems to occupy much of our time, even those of us who know that neither this earth nor our human frame is, ultimately, our eternal home.

So in the meantime, we exercise and we try to eat right, we take supplements, we try to get sufficient rest, and we try to follow our doctor’s advice, and we surf the internet to explain what ails us, even if, as Mark Twain once wrote: “Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint.” Looked at another way, though, maybe getting older is not all that bad. After all, consider these perks:

Reporters interviewing a 104-year-old woman: “And what do you think is the best thing about being 104?” the reporter asked. She simply replied, “No peer pressure.”

Once the memory goes, you get to hide your own Easter eggs.

One senior mused: I sure have gotten old! I’ve had two bypass surgeries, a hip replacement, new knees. Fought prostate cancer and diabetes. I’m half blind, can’t hear anything quieter than a jet engine, take 40 different medications that make me dizzy, winded, and subject to blackouts. Have bouts with dementia. Have poor circulation; hardly feel my hands and feet anymore. Can’t remember if I’m 85 or 92 Have lost all my friends. But, thank goodness, I still have my driver’s license.

Another recalled: My memory’s not as sharp as it used to be. Also, my memory’s not as sharp as it used to be.

Maybe you’re not sure if any of this applies to you. But then that nagging little voice inside of you says, ‘you’re not getting any younger.’ Want a little test to help you know if you’re older than you think? Ponder these little irritations:

Everything hurts…and what doesn’t hurt doesn’t work.

You sit down in a rocking chair and can’t get it started.

Your back goes out more often than you do.

You’re really getting into swing dancing. Not on purpose.
Some parts of your body are just prone to swinging.

You finally get it all together, and then you can’t remember where you put it.

You notice you are starting to make the same noises as your coffeemaker.

Resisting temptation is not as hard as recognizing it.

Anything under a quarter isn’t worth bending over to pick up.

And the true litmus test for when you are really getting up in years: You no longer buy green bananas. Ultimately, we can relax in the truth that, as the psalmist says: [God] knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust. Our days on earth are like grass; like wildflowers, we bloom and die. (Psalm 103:14,15) We are all living in temporary housing…None of us, not even the healthiest of us, is guaranteed our next breath—that we will wake up tomorrow. James 4 says: “How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, ‘If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.’ Otherwise you are boasting about your own plans, and all such boasting is evil.”

So in the meantime, beloved, let’s enjoy the ride, encourage each other, and keep a sense of humor about it all. Remember: You don’t stop laughing because you grow old, You grow old because you stop laughing. Have a great week and don’t forget to come out to support our drama team next Friday. You’ll be glad you did.

-tad