Light As We Go

I like the frozen food aisle best. I walk through it every week, even when there are no frozen items on my grocery list.

Why? For the joy of enlightenment. Here's how it works:

Start when the aisle is empty of other shoppers. The motion-sensitive lights in the freezer cases will be dark. As you begin moving, enlightenment dawns step by step.

As you near the pizza section, the case lights up. Approach the frozen vegetables, and brightness bursts upon you. Get close to "Entrees," and they are illuminated.

At the end of the aisle, look back with a smile. Your entire path has been bathed  in light--just when you needed it!

Each time I enjoy this experience, two Scripture verses pop into my mind:

Light is shed upon the righteous. (Psalm 97:11 NIV)
The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn,
shining ever brighter till the full light of day. (Proverbs 4:18 NIV)
 
I used to think the light of God's guidance was mostly for the young. After all, they are the ones who need wisdom for choosing careers and spouses. But now I know better. Guidance is a lifelong necessity, especially for the journey through old age.
 
As we grow in years, we are the ones needing enlightenment for
  • when and where to retire
  • how much to downsize
  • how to navigate bereavement and loss
  • which medical procedures to undergo
  • ways to serve the Lord as strength declines
  • how to stretch dwindling finances
  • what kind of legacy to leave.
It's all new territory. After all, we've never been old before!
 
I take comfort in the happy experience of two old men needing guidance (check out the whole story in Genesis 24). Aged Abraham calls his oldest servant and gives him the solemn task of finding a wife for Isaac.
 
The assignment abounds with uncertainty. But Abraham assures his servant that God will send an angel ahead of him to enlighten the way.
 
So the aging servant sets off in trusting faith, carrying gifts for the unknown bride-to-be. He saturates his journey with prayers for guidance. The Lord lights his path step by step.
 
Whenever the servant recognizes God's help along the way, he pauses to praise God. He gives witness to the joyful experience of finding "light as we go":
"As for me, being on the way,
the LORD led me." (Gen. 24:27 NKJV)
 
The same pattern holds true for us.
 
The Lord illumines our path step by step as we walk prayerfully down the aisle of our later years. At the end of our days, we can look back with a grateful smile.
 
Our entire path has been bathed in light--just as we needed it!
 
©MarionSpeicherBrown
 

                          
 










 

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