1 Peter 1:8 “Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.” It is hard to express something that is inexpressible. Here is an attempt from the diary of a Mrs. Kitty Trevelyan quoted by Paget Wilkes in Missionary Joy in Japan (1912) “How is anyone to know the false joy from true? Well, Missis, I can’t say. I think folks can’t unless they try. As far as I know, it’s a kind of joy that makes you ready to let all the world trample on you and never mind a bit. It’s a joy that makes you feel as if you could forgive your greatest enemy, because if they only felt what you feel they would like to be your brother at once. It’s a joy that lifts you above all the joys of the earth as if they were poor forgotten dreams, and makes you ready to stoop beneath any burden or trouble in the world because of the hand that fits on the yoke. It’s a joy that makes you feel lower than the lowest upon earth, because you’ve been forgetting and neglecting Him who died for you; and it’s a joy that the whole world cannot take away, but the heart full of pride or breath of sin can dim and soil and stain. If we lived in it always, we should be as meek as lambs, as busy as bees, as happy as angels; and when we lose it there is nothing to do but to go back to where we found it, to the Lord who won it, to the Almighty who gave it. For we’re as weak as Samson with his hair shorn without it; and as strong as Samson when he took up the city gates when we’ve got it. And though it’s never to be found by looking for it, it’s always to be found by looking for the Lord.” The joy caused by the salvation of our souls is too great to shout it and too great to sing it. Although not expressed, this joy is seen because what is on the inside shows on the outside. This joy is not only inexpressible, it is glorious. It is the glory that will be seen.
This is a post for those who are getting old or considering themselves old, from 65-100. Right now, I am 91.* I will be 92 in October. I have my own house, but I cannot live in it alone because of my physical inability to move around. One of my sons lives with me. All of us will have to make some adjustments. That includes money, relatives, your own ability and willpower to stay independent, etc. My advice is if physically and financially you can live independently, you should certainly do that. If you do, you will still need to have visits from your family frequently. You need your family. Even if you don’t need them to take care of you, you need them for the fellowship. The more fellowship you have, the longer you’ll live. If you can stay independent do it, but only if friends and relatives can see you often. In my case, I can’t walk, and I can’t do much physically. So, whether I like it or not, someone else has to get me up, get me showered, and get me dressed. I am blessed to have
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