1 Peter 1:24,25
‘For “ALL FLESH IS LIKE GRASS,
AND ALL ITS GLORY LIKE THE FLOWER OF GRASS.
THE GRASS WITHERS,
AND THE FLOWER FALLS OFF,
BUT THE WORD OF THE LORD ENDURES FOREVER.”
And this is the word which was preached to you.’
The withering grass verse is true, but I’ve been feeling it personally as I age. I’ve always felt youthful, and still do, yet I can see an end (30 more years, God willing). I can also see myself as older. This is odd mentally. I knew it would come in theory. I can feel the beginnings of it. Mortality is setting in. This is unsettling at the core. The withering grass is becoming real.
I believe this is what a middle age crisis feels like. Many divorce, buy a sports car and begin to live like they are 25 again. That is not the remedy. Acting 25 won’t make it so. My wife is my best friend and support. She is a help when things get shaky. This is a journey that we are experiencing at the same time. We are to help each other through it.
My friends are going through it, also. It’s weird that we’ve never brought it up. I’ll need to do that. The thing to do isn’t to try to feel young, but to accept the change. It’s new part of my identity.
The next verse speaks to God’s Word as enduring. This is the answer. Jesus says in Matthew 7:24,25, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.…”. I’m not to build my life on youthful vigor. It’s to be build on God’s Word.
What does it mean to build our lives on His Word? We need to be reading it regularly. We need to let it shape our decisions and beliefs. As we go through our days we are confronted with circumstances that push and challenge us. Sometimes we are to pray for guidance, other times we need to forgive, offer mercy and so on. God’s Word also says that we are limited in our resources and are unable to do these things without exhaustion. The bible tells us to cast our cares upon Him. He also tells us He won’t give us more than we can handle. He will give us the ability. He says that His Yoke is easy and His burden is light. He basically says, “You’ve got this.” This is what it means to have a life built on His Word.
Lord, thank You that You are with us always. Even when we go through difficult times like the withering grass. Help us to stay in Your Word and build our lives on it.
What does it mean to build our lives on His Word? We need to be reading it regularly. We need to let it shape our decisions and beliefs. As we go through our days we are confronted with circumstances that push and challenge us. Sometimes we are to pray for guidance, other times we need to forgive, offer mercy and so on. God’s Word also says that we are limited in our resources and are unable to do these things without exhaustion. The bible tells us to cast our cares upon Him. He also tells us He won’t give us more than we can handle. He will give us the ability. He says that His Yoke is easy and His burden is light. He basically says, “You’ve got this.” This is what it means to have a life built on His Word.
Lord, thank You that You are with us always. Even when we go through difficult times like the withering grass. Help us to stay in Your Word and build our lives on it.