Thursday, January 3, 2013

Belief and Endurance Throughout Life



Weeks before this photo was taken, my 91 year old dad asked me to order him many trees of assorted varieties. He said that if people did not start planting trees, there would be none for the next generation. He was especially interested in fruit bearing trees and flowering plants. When they arrived, they were only slightly larger than feathers but looked healthy. My husband offered to help daddy plant , but daddy said he couldn't just sit in his chair and had to get outside. The next day when I drove by to check on daddy, there he was digging the holes and planting. When I asked if he felt stable enough to be planting, he said when he got tired he just leaned on his golf cart or sat down in it. . The post hole digger was standing in the ground beside him and he said the dirt had to be broken with the digger before the shovel would dig out the soil. As usual, I was afraid for his safety, but he was content and felt productive. Having farmed all his life, he has taken pleasure in still being productive at age 91. As you can see by the tall pine trees behind him, he lives by what he believes. The next generation will need us to plan for them, even the oxygen they breathe.
Isaiah 46:4 NASB

4 Even to your old age a1will be the same,
And even to your 2bgraying years I will bear you!
I have 3done it, and I will carry you;
And I will bear you and I will deliver you.



4 comments:

  1. I love this picture and post. I reminds me of my dad, who passed away at 87. He was a farmer and had a garden and cows until well into his eighties.

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    1. Ginger, I also grew up as the daughter of a country family. My mother and father made a life for their family by dairying. I can remember the sweet smell of hay being baled, the cow's feed and baby calves.

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  2. One of my elderly patients first shared with me a verse about gray hairs being a blessing from God which helped change my perspective. Verses from Psalm 71(18-21) share that promise, too. One commentary shares this view "Older people have the chance to see God's faithfulness over a lifetime. Their troubles do not grow smaller as the years go by, but their experiences can strengthen confidence that God will deliver as he always has.

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  3. Jennifer, It is wonderful to see that God sustains christians throughout life. As God carries us through life, we learn of His strength and love.

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