Old Saints

    Two days ago, our community lost another wonderful saint of God. Uncle Henry was 94 years old and had been married to Aunt Rose for 74 years. I have such sweet memories of him and Aunt Rose. They were such an integral part of the little church I grew up in. As a child, I loved his smile. It was so sweet and even his eyes smiled. BUT, I also saw a hint of naughtiness in that smile- like he was about to act like a kid or was sharing a secret with one of us kids who had been a bit naughty. He always seemed to study on his answers before he gave them and I never remember him talking down to me as a child. He and Aunt Rose were a wonderful example of Christianity.
   
    His death really hit me hard and it also set me to thinking. I know lots of Christians, but it seems those old saints from my childhood just have/had something that I don't see a lot of today. Uncle Henry was one of those who had that something extra. So was my Uncle Abe. They loved the Bible and the study of it. They loved talking to people. I cannot even begin to imagine how many people my Uncle Abe had witnessed to before his death. I cannot even begin to imagine the hundreds of thousands of prayers for people and situations he had uttered. My Uncle Abe was one of the most saintly persons I have ever known, but he would frequently tell me that he needed to grow closer to God and do more for Him. It was hard for me to understand when he would say that he could hardly wait to go on to heaven. I WANT to go to heaven, but was young and couldn't imagine wishing for it right then. Now that I am older, I get it more and more. The older I get, the sweeter and more intense the desire to be with my Saviour gets. Still not rushing my life away, you understand! I just experience that every deeper desire for Christ as each week passes.

     Maybe it is not true, but it seems that many Christians of my generation and younger do not make Bible reading and prayer the priority the way these older Christians have done. Is that because of the time we live in now? Or is it because as we age we see more and more how important those things are? I don't know the answer. I do know that my yearning for my Bible reading time has increased as I have moved to the 50-something stage in my life.

    How I wish I had appreciated those old-time saints and their Bible knowledge more while I had them in my life! I fear that my generation will not have that legacy of Bible knowledge to pass on/leave with their children and the children of their home church. One of the things that bothers me about most churches these days is that there is little interaction between the children and the older members. It is all about "youth group" and their doings now. Some of my greatest examples of Christianity came from the interaction with older church members who taught Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, and helped with various tasks in the church. Now it seems that age groups are too often segregated from one another. Is the church falling into the pattern of the world where elders are no longer respected or put to good use? So sad that it is only when we are older ourselves do we see that the wisdom and knowledge of our elders could have served us so well. Too many times that knowledge/story/wisdom is lost forever when they pass away before we come to the realization that they have something important to impart to us.

    Do yourself a favor today- go call your parent, your grandparent, your elderly family member, and just listen as they talk of yesteryears. Listen patiently, listen quietly, listen with your heart. You will be glad you did.