Seasons of Challenges Dr. Juan Harrison
Seasons of Challenges
It ain’t gonna get much better. As with used cars and old mowers, something is going to break down, give out, kaput. The challenge for us older folks is how we meet Mr. Hard Times. Sometimes the struggle will pass. Sometimes not. Sometimes you get to fight it with family and friends. Sometimes not. Encouragement helps but eventually it comes down to brass tacks of one on one. It helps if you have some spiritual support, but you still gotta walk that lonesome valley, you gotta walk it by yourself. Most people don’t get excited about hearing all about our ailments. Many of them are fighting their own battles.
As in surviving a long marriage, people have to have the ability to ignore some of your spouse’s irritating habits to be able to preserve peace in the union. You don’t want to foolishly ignore a potentially serious symptom of something, but you’ve learned over time to ignore those frequent momentary ailments that come and go. The trick is to separate the wheat from the chaff. There will be serious seasons of challenge if we live long enough. Seems like sometimes that some folks practically live in the rain with an almost continual chain of ailments and surgeries plaguing their lives. Sometimes it’s accompanied by constant turmoil in their personal life. Still, other folks almost seem to be immune to major trauma and turmoil in their health and in their familial relationships. God says He will not give us more than we can bear, although I’ve half-jokingly said that sometimes He seems to push the limit in some folk’s lives.
As we get older and see and feel the changes going in and around our lives, we notice more vacant seats in the pews at church and empty seats in the Sunday school rooms. We read the obituary list in the paper, on our phones, or on the radio. With each daily listing that doesn’t mention our names, we experience a sigh of relief. Not our time. We still have time. Precious time. What to do with it.
You and I may still think of ourselves as in our younger years in our brains and imagination. It doesn’t seem possible we’ve accumulated that many human years. What have we got to show for it. What are we going to do with the remaining time in our most challenging season. We lack the energy and resources that we might have had before, but we’re still here. We can still do something. God has left us here for a reason as He has taken others who may be younger and stronger on home with Him. Why? It’s sort of a “that’s for me to know and you to find out” situation. God says we have not because we ask not. Maybe it’s time for us to stop and ask Him, “What’s it all about? Why have you left me here?” Funny how we often find answers when we totally focus on the questions in our lives.
By Dr. Juan Harrison
