Text: 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Have you ever known an older person - a person who's been a Christian for years and years - and been positively affected by their enthusiasm for life? You know what I mean, right...? They are so positive, so bubbling over with joy, that you can't help but feel good in their presence. Their deep, abiding faith in Jesus Christ sustains them through thick and thin... and they continually lift up prayers to heaven on behalf of anyone and everyone around them. I love encountering that kind of person... it's rare, but every once in awhile, you meet an elderly person who just exudes the love of Jesus Christ - and it makes you feel good.
Then there's the grumpy, even bitter old person who gripes and complains about every last thing. The years have not been kind to their body (and/or their mind)... so they make it their mission to take it out on anyone and everyone around them. Not just the occasional complaint mind you... I mean an old coot who seems obsessed with (possessed by?) a spirit of anger and bitterness. Nothing is ever good enough, and happiness is nothing more than a distant memory of yesteryear (presumably when everything functioned better).
So, what's the difference between these two types of Christ followers?
One Sunday per month, I used to hold a "worship service" at a nursing home in Kansas City during my (many) years as a seminary student. Believe me... preaching in a nursing home is a humbling experience to say the least! If the folks weren't medicated to the max... and/or otherwise completely out of touch with reality... then they were almost guaranteed to be one of two things: Really joyful and full of life and optimism, or really grumpy - with a thick protective outer layer of frustrated pessimism. Unfortunately, in the nursing home the really grumpy types always seemed to win by a wide margin. One old grump I often encountered was a former pastor (or so he claimed). I can't remember his name... but let's call him George. Man, you'd think a pastor might be the one person who's most excited about preparing to stand before Christ! Nope. George was reduced to nothing more than a grumpy old man in that place.
But one person, Helen, really did stand apart from everyone else - in that she loved the Lord her God... no matter what her circumstances. She was nearly as old as dirt (sorry, but she was really old, ok?)... and consequently she had long ago lost the ability to walk on her own or see very well. Let's face it, she lived in an impoverished, relatively dirty, smelly, seemingly lifeless nursing home located in the wrong side of town. As I said, most of her peers were completely out of it most of the time. As far as I know, she didn't get a lot of visitors. And frankly, the nursing staff didn't seem overly thrilled about her love affair with Jesus either. Most of them were there to do a job and collect a paycheck (with lots of cigarette breaks in between).
But Helen was truly a bright light in a dark place. In spite of her circumstances, she couldn't keep a smile off of her face. She always seemed happy whenever I saw her. Every time I came to set up my CD of instrumental hymns, and prepared to preach the word (at several decibels above my comfort level... just so everyone could hear and stay awake), I would be greeted by Helen and her effervescent smile and kind words.
Helen is a hero of mine. I so want to be like Helen as time marches on, atrophy sets in, and my body (and mind?) begin to diminish. Assuming I get to live a long life on this earth, I so want to be carried by Christ into old age and dance before the Lord (at least in spirit)... rather than becoming disillusioned and bitter like George.
But do I have the faith... no matter the circumstances?
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