Nothing Ventured Nothing Gained By Dr. Juan Harrison
Nothing Ventured Nothing
A friend of mine recently passed at 98. He had been a widower for many years. Frequently he would walk past one of my job sites close to his garden home and tell me to keep up the hard work. His philosophy got him to 98 as he burned up the miles with his daily walks. Somehow neither friends, neighbors, or adult children checked on him for a while. He had been deceased for several days before being discovered.
I know people who have this overwhelming fear of passing away with no one there at their passing. Some people are so lonely that they would almost be willing to pay to have someone to visit with.
They say don’t judge a person until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes. We’re admonished in the Bible to judge not. Loneliness can be such an overwhelming force. When a spouse has departed this earth, it seems sometimes that the house can make these popping, creaking sounds that you hadn’t heard before when the spouse’s snoring may have drowned them out.
Sometimes some of the most frustrated people you know have plenty of money but have pretty much nobody they can count on to call them or check on them on a regular basis. Sometimes there are things money can’t buy. Depending on how much a person has been involved with others in their lives, they may find slim pickins in the end because they never took the time to invest in others. What you invest in is what you get back.
The Bible tells us that the first shall be last and the last shall be first. Basically a lot of folks are going to be surprised on Judgement Day, some more, some less as they find out what really mattered.
Life is tough enough when you have some help. Toting the load alone is even worse. Some folks don’t trust others enough to let them help. Other folks may just like that ego stroking feeling that they did it all by their lonesome. Whatever the case, the Bible says we have not because we ask not. A lot of folks miss out on the real joy in life of sharing their lives with others. Seems some folks just don’t know how to truly be involved and care for someone other than themselves. Too bad. That desire for true peace and happiness that has eluded them most of their lives is right in front of them waiting. So sad. You only find true happiness when you live to serve others. Serving yourself is a dead-end street, especially if you were lucky enough to find a good life partner only to have them pass before you do. Then you really feel the emptiness. Like saving for a rainy day in retirement, the rainy day has come. This time it’s not money or material things. This time hopefully you’ve built up a friendship reserve you can call on to help you through those lonely days.
By Dr. Juan Harrison
