“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” — 2 Corinthians 4:16 NIV

The cycle of life for mankind is interesting to me. In our youth we are physically invincible and our minds rush us headstrong into the future as if we are 10-foot tall and bullet proof. Then comes old age. In our old age our physical bodies slow us down and our minds suddenly find wisdom. We begin life like a roller coaster being shot out of its starting shoot toward the thrill of career goals, family dreams, and worldly endeavors. In the end, we find ourselves left alone to contemplate the things that really matter.

Having lost health, strength, and interest in adventure, the mind in its focusing years forces us to consider our relationship with God and the destiny of our afterlife. One of our elderly hospice patients told me “Before I got sick I would have argued that my relationship with God couldn’t get better. Now having spent months with nothing to do but think, I thank the Lord for what this has done for my faith.”

Not everyone gets the opportunity to die in their old age, but for those who do, its like they have been given a final chance to get right with their Lord.