The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1961-06-09
Two Views Of Life
Lesson for June II, 1861

dread, and yet we all want: Old
Age. That is to say, the normal
person wants to live a long time,
and you certainly can't live a
great many years without grow
ing old. But on the other hand.
when we see some old people,
we say to ourselves, "I'd hate to
be like that" Now our study for
this week is about old age. as
seen by two different old men,
the author of EcclesiasteS, and
Saint Paul, We said last week
that Ecclesiaster does not have
the last word in the Bible, and
this is true of his views on old
age as it is of other matters.
What he said about old age is
true, yet Saint Paul holds high
er truth.
Let's Have No Illusions
Both these men agree on an
important point: If you hope to
have a happy or peaceful old
age, you'd better be preparing
for it. Ecclesiastes says this
plainly; Paul (as we shall see)
says it not in words but by his
example. Every reader Of this
page has an old person who is
going to be dependent on him or
her: namely, himself. or herself
Other people may have to take
care of you, you may be de-
pendent on them for food and
shelter. Or you may be finan-
cially Independent in your old
age Either way, though, the i'm
portant part of being old is how
you feel on the inside. For this,
you and only you are respon-
sible If YOU turn out to be a
gloomy. morose. complaining old
nuisance. that's the fault of you
yourself. now, not some time
later. If you are cheerful with
bright sunny thoughts, that also
will be something you are ar
ranging for, now.
Remember NOW thy creator
in the days of thy youth" he
says. This does not mean call
him to mind once in a while
The expression means to let the
mind dwell on something or some
one. In modern simple language
Get the habit of thinking about
GOD, now. while you can still
form a good habit. Don't put off
thinking seriously and happily
about God till you are old. If you
do, God will seem stranger.
Think about God while you are
young, remember you owe your
very life to him, he is your
Creator. If Ecclesiastes cannot
say that God loves you. or has
redeemed you. he still believes
in God, and knows that in old
age the happiest thoughts, some
times the only happy thoughts
possible, are those we can have
of God.
An Old Mans Thoughts
Now lis ten to paul the
Aged, old Man Paul as peo-
pie would say today. At the time
he wrote End Timothy, he was not
only old, he was expecting death
to come soon. He was not we'll
and ne was in jail. Isn't it bad
enough to be old, without having
all those troubles besides? But
Paul does not complain. During
most of this letter he says moth
ing about being old. He is think
ing of other people, of future
generations even rather than OF
himself. When he does come to
speak of himself, his thought
runs backward as an old mans
thoughts do; but not in bitter.
ness. not even in the quiet mel
ancholy of old Ecclesiastes. He
thinks of life as a fight to the
finish. a race, test. It's nearly
all in the past now; but he re-
Jolces in his memories. He fought
the fight. he won the race. he
stood the test. You see Paul had
been preparing for old age in
one of the best ways possible;
namely. he had not spent any
time thinking about it, he had
not deliberately prepared for it
at all. He had simply lived out
every minute to the full, putting
everything he had into the race
the fight, the test. BY the time
ne reached old age, he had long
mad the habit of faith. of hope
and OF love. He did not need to
learn how to be unselfish in old
age. He was already that way
Oid age was good because life
had been good. We may be
sure that when the last hour
came to him. "Heav ven, with
love a bri m. did not seem
strange, to him."
Biased on outlines copyright
ed by the Division of Christian
Education, National Council Of
the Churches of Christ in the U.
S. A. Relesead by Community
Press Serviec.)