I’M GETTING OLD!

Lake County Mail, Issue 27, 26 November 1947, Page 5

I’M GETTING OLD!

Man is made up of three parts—body, mind and spirit; and each of these progress through growth. We watch the young child’s body develop, and note down each advance when he first smiles, and then laughs, talks, crawls, walks and so on. Full maturity of the body is- usually reached between 18 and 25 years. The mind develops at the same time, though it takes longer to reach full maturity. I suppose one is at the intellectual peak of one’s attainment between 35 and 40. The soul also develops at the same time, but it takes a proportionately longer time to do so. I would not like to state any particular age when the spirit is at its best; but this fact may acount for many who, as they grow old return to the church of their fathers. They come to a realisation of what they have missed, and they try to make up for time and opportunity which has been lost in their younger days. Be that as it may, let us realise that even though we are growing older — there is never a time when we are useless, when our talents cannot be used for the benefit of others. Old age is sometimes scorned by youth, but old age with the full development of spiritual powers, is something to be looked forward to, not only from the experience of an earthly life lived, but from the mature development of the spiritual life. But so many say the call is to youth, and so much is done for youth these days. The Book of Proverbs says “ Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old he will not depart from it.” That is right. Future health depends so much on right diet and training as a child. The undernourished child is a weakling practically all his life. The uneducated child gets little from his intellect when he is older, the child brought up in an irreligious home or environment, has no basis to fall back on when iie grows old, and unhappiness and uselessness arc his lot. Let us not make any mistake about it—we want youth in the church, we want the middle-aged too, we want the old people also. There is a place for everyone and every age in God’s world. There is a purpose in life, a Godgiven purpose, which we are able to fufil. “God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.” Yes the Jews thought that because they were the chosen people of God, that He could not fulfil His purpose in the world without them. He could replace the Jews, as his agents. He still can raise up someone else to do our job in the world if we fail Him. But He trusts us. Economists talk about the Law of diminishing returns. I know what that is in the Christian life, for it has been so often seen. It is a -person who does not grow up in religion. Still content to say his prayers when he is retired “ Bless Thy little lamb to-night.” He who started off well, and had good feelings, but religion never went deeper than the emotions. He who puts less and less into his religious life, and so gets less and less out. It is seen in the three departments of the human being, the body, mind and spirit. The body fed up on luxuries, sweets and pastries instead of a balanced diet —produces a weakling; the intellect which never gets any further than reading magazines, thrillers or penny-dreadfuls, .never really faces up to any serious reading or problems. And in the realm of the spirit, never reads any thing more than this column, dislikes any sermons that give him something to think about, —and lias never tried to reconcile Christian teaching with science or life or anything else. We need youth, to-day, for youth brings the freshness and joy into rc-

ligiou: we need the middle-aged and mature intellect to work out the pro-blems-and study them arid their relation to life. Above all we need old-age, those who have gained experience through life, and are at the zenith of their spiritual powers, as a power house for God and His world. Philip C. Williams’.