The End of the Ride

Snap! Crackle! Pop!-Not what you think. Those are the sounds my body makes every morning when I’m trying to put on my pants. Isn’t it interesting what older folks long for compared to the desires of younger days?  I never thought that I would ever wish for greater flexibility and pain free movement with some of my everyday activities. After I am up a while and move around a bit, I do pretty well. It is the getting started each morning that hurts.

This aging thing wears on our joints. Even if we have exercised all of our lives we still suffer from the damage done by age. There is not much we can do about the inevitable aging process. But the aches and pains we have do not have to make our end of life ride a complete bummer. Your physical situation does not have to keep you from enjoying the ride to the end. I can think of many people who experienced terrible physical maladies in their last days and maintained a positive outlook on life. We all have known people like that. It is sad to watch men and women waste away in bitterness, hate and resentment. I wonder sometimes if they enjoy being angry and vengeful.

There are many men and women who are nearing the end of their life’s ride on the hill in our nation's capital. They are the ones we have elected to represent us. We used to expect them to work together to do what is best for America so that we the citizens can live in peace and feel safe. But that hasn't been the case for many years. I guess there are a lot of reasons for that. One reason we have this problem is because too many, maybe most, of those who represent us are driven by hate. They have so much vengeance toward those across the aisle from them that they refuse to work together.
This is the case in many areas of life. It is true in our churches. I have seen it in deacon’s meetings, in business meetings, and I have seen it at worship services where people will not even speak to one another. It happens in the local schools all the way to the highest level of the administration. We all know this is the case in the business world, the sports world and the entertainment industry.

Obviously, old people are not the only ones who are driven by hate and anger. But my point is that when we near the end of the ride, should we not desire to make it a joyful experience? Shouldn’t we stop behaving like  kindergartners? Ephesians 4:5 says, “Instead, by speaking the truth in love, we will grow up completely…” Then in verse 31 we find theses words, “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, quarreling and slander be put away from you, along with all hatred. Even if you are not of the Christian faith this advice is good for the heart and soul.

The end of the ride is near for many of us. The sounds of love and joy must harmoniously work in concert with the snaps, crackles and pops that become louder and more frequent as we age.