Is Aging an Illness?

I read an article recently about how the treatment of ageing could be revolutionised by a new approach that classes it as an illness. David Gems, a biogerontologist, is quoted to have said at a conference in London, “If ageing is seen as a disease, it changes how we respond to it. For example, it becomes the duty of doctors to treat it.”

This statement upset me a great deal. Yes, ageing is a difficult process. I’m not as physically or mentally fast as I used to be. I’m more fragile. I have grey hairs, laugh lines and my eye sight is failing. But I’m not about to call it an illness.

Ageing is a natural process. It reminds us that this world and these bodies are only temporary. (2 Corinthians 4:7)

I’m not about to go all dark ages on anyone either and claim we aren’t allowed to cover up those grey hairs, or can’t use technologically advanced moisturiser. What I am saying however is that we don’t need to be afraid of our mortality. We don’t need to become obsessed with our appearance.

God will love us no matter how withered we become. He will be our strength when we grow weak (Isaiah 46:4). He is the light that shines out from us and makes us eternally beautiful (Revelation 21:23). He is our home. He is our forever.

Which Animal Are You?

Are you an eagle or a duck?

Do you soar on wings like eagles (Isaiah 40:31)?

Or do you wander around the picnic grounds like a duck looking for scraps?

Are you a lion or a mouse?

Are you strong and fierce for the Lord?

Or do you hide and scurry about, lacking in courage to take a stand?

Are you a deer or a sloth?

Do you scale great heights (Psalm 18:33)?

Or do you go nowhere and do nothing?

Are you a dog or a cat?

Do you follow your Master, happy to do His bidding?

Or are you independent and indifferent?

These are questions you need to ask yourself.

Your answers will reveal how close your relationship is with God.

Do you give your all?

Or do you hold back?

The Ides of March

Today is the Ides of March according to the Roman calendar. It is a date best known as the day that Julius Caesar was killed in 44B.C. For me however this date is best remembered because I had to study Shakespeare’s, “Julius Caesar” in school. For some reason what stuck in my head was the soothsayer’s warning to Caesar, “beware the Ides of March.”

I was never a fan of Shakespeare in school. It was filled with convoluted wording and difficult to understand concepts. I only learned to appreciate it later in life when I wasn’t forced to write boring essays on the subject. Now, however, I can genuinely say I like this particular play because it focuses on the main character’s struggle between right and wrong, friendship and politics, and the powerful influences of society.

These are the struggles we all face every day. We struggle with so much because we are human. It’s a part of who we are. Of course, we should never let that be an excuse to make the wrong choices or to allow society to influence us in a way that turns us from God. Instead we should always be aware of this weakness, to pray for strength so that we can continue the fight, and to always remember how much we need our Lord.