I opted out from teaching about four years ago. The children have grown up and got married but I have to be there for them especially now that the grandchildren have also come along. By His grace, I wish to fulfill my role and responsibility well as a Christian, a wife, a mother and a grandmother.
As a ‘retiree’ with no rules and deadlines to keep, it is so easy to drift into a rather addictive and euphoric state of too much rest and inactivity. This could easily lead to complacency, lethargy, and indiscipline in the spirit. I have to be consciously on guard against such a ‘blissful’, unfruitful stance which may become an easy bait for Satan to work on and to render me ineffective for His use. The Word of God helps to keep me on the right path and focus.
Psalm 92:12-14
"The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the LORD…they will stay fresh and green…"
The Arabs have a saying about the palm tree that it stands with its ‘feet’ in salt water and its ‘head’ in the sun. The Arabs are often not able to drink the brackish water found in the oasis where the palm tree grows, but they tap the tree and drink the sweet palm wine. This analogy of the palm tree can be applied to my life. Though my feet may be in the mire and bitterness of sin around me and upon me, and my head may have to bear the strong heat of temptation, I can still grow strong. I am able to reject the evil and assimilate the good as I continue to guard my inner life in the Lord Jesus.
The cedar in Lebanon depicts the sweet aroma that may be emitted as I spend time in the presence of the Lord. As I do my part to cultivate the Lord’s presence in my life, I believe I will reap the harvest of fruitfulness and stay fresh and green (v14) despite growing more mature in years. Psalm 1:1-3 also encourages me to spend time meditating on His law. A person who delights in the law is ‘like a tree planted by streams of water which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither and whatever he does prospers.’
Aging is a word we try to avoid, especially for us women. So when the subject of age is raised, it feels good for me just to quote, "Age is a matter of the mind. If you don’t mind, it doesn't matter. After all, life is 10% what you make it and 90% how you take it!"
But I know of a beauty that is far more precious in the eyes of the Lord. The apostle Paul, writing to the women, said, "Your beauty should not come from outward adornment…it should be that of your inner self, the unfolding of a gentle and quiet spirit" (1 Peter 3:3,4). To acquire this beautiful spirit I must look to Him, for those who look to Him are radiant (Psalm 34:5). I must also develop the attitude of praise for Psalm 42:11 says, " I’ll yet praise Him. He is the health of my countenance, and my God."
We may try to hide our age by camouflaging it with cosmetics, but there’s no cosmetic as effective as the treatment for inner beauty – the cosmetics of consecration. The formula used by a beautiful godly lady will always inspire me:
I use for my lips – truth
I use for my voice – kindness
I use for my eyes – compassion
I use for my hands – charity
I use for my figure – uprightness
I use for my heart – love.
God has given me good reason to believe that He has not finished with me yet even though I may be growing in years and perhaps passed my prime. By His guidance I can grow in beauty and remain active spiritually, physically and mentally to serve the Lord freely, as He leads. With the children having left the nest and married, what better business can there be for me than to be in the business of which I will be answerable to no one but to the one and only Boss of all – my God.
Joyce and her husband, Tien Fok, worship at Praise Baptist Centre, Sri Damansara, KL |
