From Gary... A new strength

I really liked this picture!!!  Why; well, because of its "attitude" toward the obvious condition of the very aged.  Today, I experienced a bit of this myself, as the arthritis in my hands bothered me some.  And yet- so what? We all experience problems (of all types, not just physical), whether young or old.  And those problems can be beneficial if we look at them from the right perspective. Consider the following passage for a moment.

Psalms 71:9-19 NASB
(9)  Do not cast me off in the time of old age; Do not forsake me when my strength fails.
(10)  For my enemies have spoken against me; And those who watch for my life have consulted together,
(11)  Saying, "God has forsaken him; Pursue and seize him, for there is no one to deliver."
(12)  O God, do not be far from me; O my God, hasten to my help!
(13)  Let those who are adversaries of my soul be ashamed and consumed; Let them be covered with reproach and dishonor, who seek to injure me.
(14)  But as for me, I will hope continually, And will praise You yet more and more.
(15)  My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness And of Your salvation all day long; For I do not know the sum of them.
(16)  I will come with the mighty deeds of the Lord GOD; I will make mention of Your righteousness, Yours alone.
(17)  O God, You have taught me from my youth, And I still declare Your wondrous deeds.
(18)  And even when I am old and gray, O God, do not forsake me, Until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to all who are to come.
(19)  For Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the heavens, You who have done great things; O God, who is like You?

Sooner or later your health will cause problems in your life.  When this happens, you have a choice- you can either become bitter or become better. How? Well, that depends upon your direction in relationship to God.  Two years in a row in high school, I dislocated my patella and was on crutches for 6 months each time. Yet, those episodes resulted in my Linda carrying my books and it was during those days of disability and pain that we grew very close. Also, because of this I began to look at my life differently and started to think spiritually (something I had never really done before).  Do you have problems- draw close to God and HE will draw close to you. Then perhaps the words of the 71st Psalm will become more meaningful and when the time of great maturity (old age) arrives, you will have a strength than can endure virtually anything!!!