"A Fresh and Crystal Spring . . ."

While singing from my hymnal this morning, I came across a lovely sentence in one of the hymns. It is called "In the Secret of His Presence" by Ellen Lakshmi Goreh and George c. Stebbins. It goes:
"When my soul is faint and thirsty . . .there is cool and pleasant shelter, and a fresh and crystal spring . . .". My soul was refreshed reading about this cool shelter and crystal spring. Looking into the water, my soul is renewed. Allowing the coolness of the shade to give me rest, I rise with renewed strength and hope. Peace envelops me. I feel at one with the Lord and I go out to meet the demands of the day. I can't always go to a physical place to do this, but I can look at the beauty of nature through photographs or just close my eyes and picture the scene. God has given me this wonderful nature to enjoy and to revel in and find quiet for my turbulent thoughts.

Being Old is not the Same as Being Useless

In the process of aging, it seems as though the older you get, the less useful and productive you are. There is nothing further from the truth! Aside from TV and magazine ads that try to convince you to look like 16 when you're 88, or having to use a trowel to put on your makeup in order to not show wrinkles (why hasn't anyone come up with make up that takes away the turkey-wattle neck?), God sees our aging in a much different way.

Younger people need older people to help show them the way. A battered tree that seems dead gives a resting and nesting place for birds and insects and it also provides

nutrients for a new forest.

He looks at the inside of us. He cares more about our character than our wrinkles. He sees the tremendous fount of wisdom and experience that come to many with aging. Let's not forget who we are in Him. We are beautiful and worthy of having His only Son die for us, no matter what our age or outward looks. Old and washed up? Not me! I'm just beginning to really enjoy life and no amount of rust or dings can change that when I see it through God's viewpoint.