Page 7 - Good News July 2006 paper

Helen Gardiner Meant to be a Pinnacle
“To everything there is a season It has everything to do, I believe, with the
A time for every purpose under heaven Lord wanting to raise up something of a
A time to be born banner for the third phase of earthly life,
And a time to die.” meant to be a golden pinnacle, rather than
(Please read Ecclesiastes 3:1-8). a time that is dreaded and despised.
The darkness of pre-dawn was rapidly For too many people, the final phase of
slipping away; the air bore the crisp, slight earthly life is approached with gloom and
chill of Autumn, as I moved about quietly in expectation of increasing discontent,
the downstairs of our home. uselessness and death. Yet, in Christ, the
I was busy with my preparatory chores for very opposite should be our faith and
the day; tidying up, feeding dogs, making expectation.
packed lunches and early morning coffee Because I live in a town which is an old age
and tea. It was just another day in many haven, I get to see and rub shoulders with
respects, and yet, it was different and many elderly people, and have concluded
special. It was special because it was my that old age very often is a time when
th
50 birthday, and as I moved about I was people are overtaken by bitterness and
aware of the sweet Presence of Jesus, my complaining…and yet, Jesus does not
Lord. purpose it to be so. The Christ within and
Under His leading, my mind swept upon a life, is ever transforming that life
fleetingly over my life, and thankfulness from glory to glory, and the apostle Paul’s
and abundant love overflowed my heart revelation and experience, can, in and
towards this very precious Lord and through Jesus Christ, become ours as
Saviour Who had brought me, and my well:
loved ones, through so very much. “Even though our outward man is
I became so aware that I was entering into perishing, yet the inward man is being
the third phase of my earthly life, and the renewed day by day. For our light affliction,
Lord showed me that His heart is truly for which is but for a moment, is working for us
that phase to be “Golden”. For all of us. a far more exceeding and eternal weight of

As I looked back over my life, I rejoiced glory, while we do not look at the things
over the days of youthfulness and happy which are seen, but at the things which are
memories but realised too, that I had to not seen. For the things which are seen are
learn so many lessons, and had had to temporary, but the things which are not
come through so much fire of purging and seen are eternal” (2 Cor. 4:16b-18).
refining. I had no longing to go back and Even physical death itself, in Christ, has no
live in times past. sting. Do we, as Christians, really believe
That’s all very well, you might think, but that? Do we really rejoice and glory in the
what has all this got to do with me? Continued on p. 9