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THERE are moments in our later years when many of us become more keenly aware of the frailty of our tenure of life. We resent the gradual shutting down of our bodies, and sometimes our brain. We want life to go on as it has always been. We want more years with our spouse, our children and grandchildren; particularly since, with the passing years, these relationships often get better. We want to go on enjoying crimson sunsets, great music, birdsong and flower gardens. Most of us would also love to be around to see greater peace in the world, and people no longer dying of famine.
Although the ageing process involves negatives, such as gradually losing things we treasure, like mobility, hearing, eyesight, memory, mental sharpness and reasonable good looks, there are also positives. Many in their later years undergo a process of re-evaluation. Recall Jesus’ parable about a merchant who spent his life searching for fine pearls, until he finally came across one of such splendour that he sold all the rest to buy it. What a profound parable that is. The pearl the heart really longs for, is not wealth, power or fame, but being fully human, being the person God wants us to be, alive to truth, beauty and the needs of others, and better at controlling our emotions and tongues.
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