All around us we observe a pregnant creation. The difficult times of pain throughout the world are simply birth pangs. But it's not only around us; it's within us. The Spirit of God is arousing us within. We're also feeling the birth pangs. These sterile and barren bodies of ours are yearning for full deliverance. That is why waiting does not diminish us, any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother. We are enlarged in the waiting. We, of course, don't see what is enlarging us. But the longer we wait, the larger we become, and the more joyful our expectancy."-Romans 8:18-25 The Message
I absolutely LOVE The Message version of these verses.
I love the analogy of birth pangs.
It's as if we are all waiting for a birthday.
Birthdays.
We celebrate them all the time.
Our lives revolve around how old people are... it measures the level of respect or tolerance of.
Whenever we apply for a job, meet new people, work on a project, volunteer, even when we evangelize or talk to anyone, if the conversation is long enough the question will always arise... 'How old are you?'
It got me thinking... Why do we care how old people are?
1 Timothy 4:11-12 tells us, "Get the word out. Teach all these things. And don't let anyone put you down because you're young. Teach believers with your life: by word, by demeanor, by love, by faith, by integrity. Stay at your post reading Scripture, giving counsel, teaching. And that special gift of ministry you were given when the leaders of the church laid hands on you and prayed—keep that dusted off and in use." (The Message)
And yet, our culture, our society, and even our very churches... always silence, press down, or care too much about age.
The pastor is too young.
The pastor is too old.
The elders are too young.
The elders are too young.
The congregation is too young.
Too old.
They have a teen serving communion.
That guy can barely walk he's so old... he's going to drop the offering basket.
Maybe we don't vocalize these things... but I've been in too many churches who you can just tell... people are thinking about these things. People judge based off of age. ALL THE TIME.
This got me thinking because today is my birthday. I'm 19. A young adult. But still a teen. By some, a mature man able to smoke, vote, and join the military. And old enough to choose not to smoke, despite peer pressure.
By others a lousy, lazy teenager who knows nothing about life and is simply an adult because of some law.
But it doesn't matter if I have experience in a particular issue... because I'm still too young to make a difference. That's what we're told. That's the attitude surrounding us.
And yet we celebrate birthdays... like crazy. We applaud a new human entering this devastated and fallen world.
And those who are in Christ are waiting for another kind of birthday.
A day in which we are all 'yearning for full deliverance'.
"The difficult times of pain throughout the world are simply birth pangs. But it's not only around us; it's within us. The Spirit of God is arousing us within."
And this keeps me going all the time... It doesn't matter how old we are... because when Christ comes... we're all going to be reborn. We're all getting started over at the same time, at the same rate. Age is meaningless.
I've heard it said that time is simply God's way of making sure everything doesn't happen all at once.
And that's all it is.
All it ever was.
So here I am, another year gone by... a year added to my life, one speck of respect added to me simply because I'm older than 18, not because of what I've done, or what I do. But it seems, that many people will measure how much my input is worth by age.
And Paul speaks to Timothy, who was dealing with the same crowd as we do today.
"Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity." 1 Tim. 4:12 ESV
SET them an example.
Be the example.
Let your legacy be... that it doesn't matter your age. Prove to them your worth by laying a legacy down. Making an example.
Wisdom we all could follow isn't it?
It matters not, how old we are. Christ makes all things new with a new birth. But until that time... as we wait dealing with these birth pangs... Let us set an example. Whether your 12, 68, 19, 72, 16, or 36... start building your legacy by how you lived.
Forget about age... it's just a measurement of time. And time is simply God's way of separating things so they don't all happen at once. God has a plan for everyone of us... let's live it.
