Respect
for the Aged
Thou
shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and
fear thy God: I am the Lord. Lev. 19:32
There are services due to others which we
cannot ignore and yet keep the commandments of God. To live, think, and act for
self only is to become useless as servants of God. . . .
We have in our ranks too many who are
restless, talkative, self-commending, and who take the liberty to put
themselves forward, having no reverence for age, experience, or office. The
church is suffering today for help of an opposite character--modest, quiet,
God-fearing men, who will bear disagreeable burdens when laid upon them, not
for the name, but to render service to their Master, who died for them. Persons
of this character do not think it detracts from their dignity to rise up before
the ancient and to treat gray hairs with respect. . . .
Those who fear and reverence God, He will
delight to honor. Man may be so elevated as to form the connecting link between
heaven and earth. He came from the hand of his Creator with a symmetrical
character, endowed with such capacities for improvement that, combining divine
influence with human efforts, he might elevate himself almost to an angel's
sphere. Yet, when thus elevated, he will be unconscious of his goodness and
greatness.
And God has especially enjoined tender
respect toward the aged. He says, "The hoary head is a crown of glory, if
it be found in the way of righteousness." It tells of battles fought, and
victories gained; of burdens borne, and temptations resisted. It tells of weary
feet nearing their rest, of places soon to be vacant. Help the children to
think of this, and they will smooth the path of the aged by their courtesy and
respect and will bring grace and beauty into their young lives as they heed the
command to "rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old
man."
From My Life Today - Page 279
