be that modem medicine has discovered many pain- relieving remedies! Trusting God for grace to bear dis ability and pain is the greatest help we have. As long as we live and have the right use of our minds, we can still serve effectively by prayer. Prayer is genuine Christian service. Who can tell how many problems have been solved and how much good has been done by invalids who could do nothing else than pray? And if, in the providence of God, we shall outlive 'even the use of our minds, let us leave these imponderable problems to His all-knowing wisdom and love. If you were raised in a Christian home, then the church has ministered to your life throughout the years. Now that you have embarked upon the golden years, your church should mean more to you than ever. Your most sacred memories, such as baptism, marriage, Chris tian fellowship, and others, are all tied in with the church. When you have outlived your mortal remains, you know the church will give you a respectable burial. The church still needs you. Don’t be too modest about your accumulation of experience, skills, and wisdom; be assured they are of great value to the church’s pro gram. You also- need to feel that you are still useful. On the other hand, don’t let yourself get soured when you see younger people gradually filling the places of responsibility that you and your friends used to fill. When you -were younger -(20 or 30 years ago), you wanted to do things your own way. Give the younger people the luxury, too, of making some mistakes for themselves. Even though older people have to relinquish the con trols some time, there are still many, many things you can do. Happy'is the church that includes members of
“ ■^""I an I still keep the gold in my life when my head is crowned with silver?” someone asks. Why not? The silver on your head may be worth much more than the gold in your pocket. The fact that there are more patients in beauty parlors than in hospitals does not say that you must spend all the time and money you have available to conceal the signs of old age. Solomon said, “The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness” (Prov. 16:31). Real beauty, and lasting charm, stem from an inner radiance, from the quality of your religious faith, and not from the outer shell of your body. The beauty of 60 is as attrac tive as the beauty of 16. It is negative attitudes and hostile impulses that make people unlovely. Let the Holy Spirit rid you of these things and your wrinkles will make you more beautiful than all the cosmetics you can employ. * “ I don’t fear old age, but I don’t want to be an invalid and a care to others.” This is the hidden, and often the spoken, fear of older people. It is a fact that as age increases, the impact of chronic illness becomes more serious or a stroke may incapacitate you altogether. Al though chronic illnesses are not confined to people over 65, more than half of the persons over 75 in the United States are limited in some way. The greatest disablers are arthritis, rheumatism, heart disease, and high blood pressure. Sometimes these afflictions are accompanied with acute pain. Suffering is one of the most difficult human problems we have to face. Yet we can be sure the Lord understands, because Jesus Himself suffered, and so He can feel for us in our afflictions. How grateful we may Growing Old Gracefully
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Q - C I < s. Q \ A
by Roy S. Koch
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THE KING'S BUSINESS
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