“The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness.” (Prov. 16:31) This verse is easy to read but difficult to understand if you do not have a hoary head, gray hairs where a different color used to be. For those that are able to see the sun beginning to set in their lives, as it were, these words are fully understood, for in the wisdom of God we are able to tell that our time is almost over, but we are not like the lost and so we do not fear it. These gray hairs are more than just the realization that we are aging, they are a sign from the Lord that it is almost time for us to come home, and so this verse to those who seek to please Christ, who desire to be obedient and willing servants for His glory become especially important and endearing to us.
These hairs are a crown of glory, they speak of the individual that our Lord has deemed, to a very small degree and in much humility, worthy to remain on this planet long enough to serve Him fully. But great care must be administered when seeing this verse in Proverbs for what it truly says, for not everyone who begins this process of walking towards their end here will find pleasure in this verse, the dreaded word “if” is in it, and this word should make us take thought about our lives, not the gray hairs. “If it be found in the way of righteousness.”
At one of the clinics where we live there is a course, a group meeting as it were being offered to those with gray hairs, it is being called a “Life-Solutions” class. The purpose of the meetings according to the brochure is to assist those in different areas who have reached an age of elderliness, those that are considered politely as in their declining years. I believe that I can say quite assuredly that any born-again believer who has put their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ will see no need to attend even one of these meetings, and I would like to help you to see why. The list of reasons that are given are no less important to those who know our Lord, but they are interesting in the sense that they will help us to see just what those who have not placed their trust in Him are going through on a daily basis, those with hoary heads who have no hope.
There are several different subjects that these life solutions courses are meant to help those who are dealing with these issues of old age, but I would like to concentrate on just five of them that I see as most relevant in the life of the believer. The first would be loneliness, the need for company and friends that are not there, or rarely are. Humans companionship is part of the plan of God, we need each other for more than just the daily existence of life. Food, water, clothing, fuel for your vehicle or heat for your place of residence, very few us can supply all that is necessary for the continuance of our earthy survival by our own devices. But this is not what this subject is about within the framework of this class, it is about the need for human contact.
The interactions that these classes are intended for is the lost, for we must remember that in this letter to you I am presupposing that the believer is in no need of assistance in this area, we have Christ. They do not have anyone but themselves and those around them who are, most generally, lost also. There is no hope for them, the future holds death, of that they are now quite certain, the gray hairs prove it, no matter how much color that is added to them to try to hide that fact. These are able only to rest in the hope that they will be remembered by others, that theirs lives held some type of meaning, that those who are there to help them not feel lonely will see value in their existence. The loneliness that they are feeling can never be assuaged, no matter how intently they apply the principles that are laid out for them in the class, for they are the ways of man. Perhaps for a short time these feelings of loneliness can be set aside, but they will return, for they do not know that what they are seeking for cannot be found inside of them, but only in Christ. They have always been lonely; they have just now had to come to the realization of this truth. There is very little ability within them to differentiate between being alone and being lonely.
The second of these subjects that is going to be addressed within this classwork is that of depression, that emotion that comes from self-doubt, a dejection that arises from within ourselves because of the words or actions of others that we see as less than lifting up of ourselves. In other words, these individuals are seeking the praise of men and not finding it, and therefore cannot find it within themselves, for their value system is based on what others think of their performances in life. They become depressed because of those around them, they are easily intimidated, and can find no way to be as good as those they consider their betters, the depression sinks in, and that dejection turns quickly to despair, to depression.
They will most likely be told that they are perfectly fine just as they are, that who they are is who they should be accepted as, and that the world when it understands them will see that as well. They will be informed that all should accept them for who they are, not for who they believe that they should be, that everyone is special in their own way. If these individuals would only search within themselves and see that they are valuable if to no one else but themselves, they will find an inner peace that will give them the confidence that all will be alright. If nothing else, there are pills that can help them with this problem.
Anxiety will be the next subject that will be discussed. It will most likely be referred to as apprehension, nervousness, being overly concerned with things, but not as what it truly is, fear, fear of being unable to control that which they cannot control. Remember that these classes are for those who are reaching the end of their lives, those who have finally had to come to the knowledge that death is imminent, and that it cannot be stopped. They are frightened beyond belief, more than they can even speak of, for that time that was never supposed to arrive is at the doorstep, and nothing can stop it. The subject of death is not one that they, or even most people, can find easy to speak of, and for the Christian I can find no viable reason or excuse for that, we have a hope that these who will attend these classes do not have.
The only hopes that they have are false hopes, the wishful expectations of something better because they have lived a “good” life, they caused no serious harm to any, they were polite, caring and followed all the rules. The balance of the scales of heaven will fall to their favor, and they will be found worthy to be accepted into that place of bliss that they have imagined within their own minds. They have been taught to believe that the ways of man are the ways of entrance into the eternal, thus the anxiety, thus the fear, for they just cannot be truly sure, they have nothing to hope for but their own endeavors as for that which will be considered good enough. Death is coming, and they are scared to death of it.
Next on the list is crying. I had to stop and give thought as to whether or not this one would even be worth mentioning, but as the lord leads, I write. We are not referring to tears of joy here my friends, but of great sorrow, a sorrow I am not sure any child of God can truly understand, for this is the sorrow of hopelessness. Life is almost over, there is no more time to spare, it will come to an end and they have finally had to come to the point where they must admit it to themselves. The gray hairs have arrived, and for some they have been here for quite some time. The more there are, the more imminent is their demise seen as unstoppable. Would you not shed an endless supply of tears also if you knew that the end is coming, that there is nothing but unfounded hopes to lean on, and that you have searched a large part of your life and not found truth yet.
They will cry for their own losses, not for those that are going to be left behind when they depart, but for themselves, tears will flow because they do not know what is coming, because there is going to be no more of them, they will no longer be here, and they can say with no confidence where they are going. Tears will flow because they can see no true hope. These individuals will see life as not fair, that God is not fair, that they should not have to die, that they should be allowed to continue, and when they realize that none of this is going to happen they will shed endless tears for themselves. They will have to realize that they are not the masters of their destiny.
The last item I would like to bring to your attention that will be discussed is that of low self-esteem, low self-confidence, and I can only wonder at how this will be approached by the ones that will be leading these life solutions classes. Will they come to the realization that self has been the problem all along in these individual’s lives, that self has been the stumbling block that has hindered their ability to see that there could have been more. Even if they spent the entirety of their lives in doing nothing but helping others, they could not help them all, even if their lives were spent in assisting the blind, the halt or the lame, their self is now useful only to themselves. The confidence that they see now as lacking was never there in the first place, they are going to have to realize that everything that they did was truly to no avail in the eternal. When it comes to the main issues of the class, that the only hope that the leaders of the class can offer them is the hope of man, that no truth will be offered to them about the reason for their existence, the hope will not last. That truth of hope can only be found in Christ.
This class is for the elderly, for those who must now come to the realization of the truth that their last breath is coming soon. How are they planning I am wondering to give these people hope, self-confidence that there is anything more to come, when all they have to base it on is their past performances within the framework of the world. They are the blind leading the blind, trying to inform them that their works are what will grant them peace, that their maker is going to base His judgement of their entrance into His kingdom on what they have done here, instead of what He did for them when He was here. It is a class set within the framework of the secular and so I would expect no less, the eternal is not the issue, only assisting those individuals who will attend the class in feeling better about themselves because of themselves.
The class offered is called Life Solutions, but it has very little to do with life, but on how to prepare for death, and it is more than misconstrued in its eternal efforts, false hope, the same false hope outside of Christ will be given that has been taught to the world since it began. Any way to heaven, to the eternal bliss of your imagination as long as it doesn’t involve God or Jesus Christ. As long as you feel good you will be okay, as long as you believe, it will be true, there is no reason to search outside of yourself for the fulfilment of an unending and happy life, or in the life to come, it all resides within you, and as it has always been, you are the master of your own fate, there is nothing else that can be offered to them. Just feel better and all will be alright.
The hope that mankind offers is no hope at all, it is an illusion, it is wishful thinking with no basis in reality at all. Hopeful expectations and optimism will avail these individuals nothing at all, except to feel better for the moment. The moment is going to end though and then the truth will be revealed to them, then there will be unending loneliness, depression, anxiety and crying that will never cease, along with a level of hopelessness they never knew existed.
There is no hope outside of Christ, it is my hope that these individuals will find Him, and the only truth of hope that they will ever need.