Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 1289 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Rise Up! – Meditation Monday

Wisdom – the final frontier to true knowledge. Welcome to Wisdom-Trek where our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before.

Hello, my friend, I am Guthrie Chamberlain, your captain on our journey to increase wisdom and create a living legacy. Thank you for joining us today as we explore wisdom on our 2nd millennium of podcasts. This is Day 1289 of our trek, and it is time for Meditation Monday. Taking time to relax, refocus, and reprioritize our lives is crucial in order to create a living legacy.

For you, it may just be time alone for quiet reflection. You may utilize structured meditation practices. In my life, meditation includes reading and reflecting on God’s Word and praying. It is a time to renew my mind, refocus on what is most important, and make sure that I am nurturing my soul, mind, and body. As you come along with me on our trek each Meditation Monday, it is my hope and prayer that you, too, will experience a time for reflection and renewing of your mind.

 In our meditation today, let us consider…

Rise Up!

During my devotional/Bible study time, I came across a verse from the book of Leviticus 19:32, and it caused me to ponder a bit. Let me read it to you, “Stand up in the presence of the elderly, and show respect for the aged. Fear your God. I am the Lord.” Leviticus is a book in what is referred to as the Torah, which is attributed to Moses as the author. Leviticus specifically dives into the Old Testament laws that God established for the fledgling nation of Israel. Many times students of the Bible will skim through this book or skip it completely, since many of the laws don’t really apply to what is called the Age of Grace, which are the precepts that Jesus Christ and the New Testament teaches us. The verse I read is part of the Old Testament law, but it is still a valuable principle for our lives today.

This is probably more on my heart now since our parents are elderly and need the care of others. My dad is in a nursing home, and while he still remembers us, he has chronic dementia and can hardly hear us even with hearing aids, and his conversations are very short, circular, and repeated over and over. Very recently, we also had to move Paula’s mom into an assisted living home after 10 years of living with Paula and me. It has come to the point where she needs more help than we can provide since we are both still working full time.

So the question that we ponder is, how can we best honor our parents as they continue to slowly slide down that slope of age-related issues? One of the ways we show our loyalty to God is to honor our parents, and indeed, all elders. This takes me back to our own parenting skills with our five children and their spouses.

First, we model what we want our children to become. In the case with my dad and Paula’s mom, demonstrating care and concern for them and all the elderly is very important. As we did when they were young, our grown children need to see that the value of a life is not dependent on how much a person can accomplish, or even do own their own. The elderly deserve our respect and love simply because they were created as God’s image-bearers, just as we are. Besides, we are not in a position to evaluate someone else’s contribution to society, and especially their value to God. There is no limit to what someone can accomplish simply through their prayers.

Second, just as we worked hard to create a warm, safe environment of unconditional love for our children, we must do the same for the elderly. As we age and lose our cognitive and physical abilities, it is easy to become discouraged and fearful. These insecurities can rise to the surface, and sometimes even personalities can change. We need God’s help to love others well.

When we respect our aging parents and others who are elderly, we obey God’s commands to honor them. We also teach our children, of any age, about unconditional love.  As our obedience pleases God, it deepens our relationship with Him.  The bottom line is to honor your father and mother in their old age. It honors them and God and sets a good example for your children.

Let me close with Ephesians 6:2-3, “’Honor your father and mother.’ This is the first commandment with a promise: If you honor your father and mother, ‘things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.’”

That is a wrap for today’s meditation. Next week, we will continue our trek on Meditation Monday as we take time to reflect on what is most important in creating our living legacy. On tomorrow’s trek, we will explore another wisdom quote. This 3-minute wisdom supplement will assist you in becoming healthy, wealthy, and wise each day. Thank you for joining me on this trek called life. Encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

If you would like to listen to any of the past 1288 daily treks or read the daily journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player, so each day will be downloaded to you automatically.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most importantly, your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
2. Love Unconditionally
3. Listen Intentionally
4. Learn Continuously
5. Lend to others Generously
6. Lead with Integrity
7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Everyday! See you tomorrow!