Wait and See

We have a lot of older people in our church, and Sunday the soloist sang something dealing with “life’s setting sun”. Later, when he was taking the prayer requests, he commented on the song. “You know,” Tom said, “when I was singing that I thought about several of us that could apply to.” He went on, “I know my sun is setting.” Wow! He’s only a few years older than me, I thought, and I don’t feel like that!

“I had a friend,” the thin, sprightly man continued, “who was told he had only a few months to live and to get his affairs in order. He did that, planning his funeral and lining up his pall bearers. Six months went by, then a year, plus another year, and he was still living, Finally, all his pall bearers died,” he finished with a chuckle.

Then the pastor, who had come along side Tom standing at the altar, told a story. “Friday night wife and I went to the football game with Tom and Sophie to see their grandson play,” he began. “But at half time, when the score was Visitors 12 and Home 3, we decided to call it a night and go home,” he said, shaking his head. Then, turning to Tom, he asked, “Now what was the final score, Tom?” to which Tom answered, “Visitors 13, Home 36!” The pastor concluded, “It’s not over ’til it’s over!” On that encouraging note, they received the prayer requests.

Life is unpredictable. Also unpredictable are the things that come from children’s mouths. Our son wrote that their four-year-old daughter has spent most of her church time in the nursery, but she sat with them this past Sunday, which was communion Sunday. When Anne-Marie saw what was going on, she exclaimed, “Oh, we get a snack! And something to drink, too!” I doubt Tammy, her mom, could explain everything right then, but I’m sure there was a teaching moment later.

When Anne-Marie’s father was about her age or a little older, I heard him singing as we left the church one Sunday, “No, you’re not, No, you’re not, You’re not the temple,” misinterpreting the words of a hymn that say, “Know ye not, Know ye not, Ye are the temple. Ye are the temple of the Holy Ghost.”

As long as we have grandchildren’s football games to attend and kids’ funny sayings to make us laugh, we will at least feel young and have to admit that “It’s not over ’til it’s over.” Besides which, I got a new lease on life today at lunch out, when the cashier asked my husband and me if either of us might be over 55 to qualify for the seniors' discount!