Expanding and Shrinking

 August 2, 2018

While eating an early lunch with a friend today, he made a comment that arrested me. “When we’re young, our world is small; it expands in our teen and adult years, but finally comes the time when it begins to shrink again.” I’ve seen this happen with people as they age and their world of responsibility contracts to immediate family, and sometimes only themselves. And while some of this is inevitable due to decreasing physical mobility, illness, and often enough, mental impairment, I think it often happens before its time.

The Enemy of our souls is a liar, and one of his most effective lies is that our troubles are terminal, that health issues, relationship problems, or financial troubles spell the end of meaningful life. This is not to minimize our problems, but too often I’ve watched people’s attitude to turn a temporary valley into a permanent hole in the ground, otherwise known as a grave. Lord knows, I’ve done it often enough myself, but over the years I’ve learned how foolish it is to allow my situation or other people shrink my world to it’s immediate circumstances. God always stands outside and above this world; as long as there is a God in heaven, there is no reason for me to allow my world to shrink so small as to not include him and the possibilities he brings to life. 

I am fortunate; Linda and I enjoy good health, God has abundantly fulfilled his promise to provide all we need for life and godliness. We don’t move quite as fluidly as we once did, and have noticed a diminishing of our stamina for strenuous physical labor. We haven’t yet arrived at that place where life begins to shrink. Sometimes it feels like it continues to expand to the point where it is so big we can barely keep up. Dare I say it? There are times I almost wish our world were a bit smaller, more manageable. The reality is, I am grateful for horizons that continue to expand, and for my friend who tickled my imagination this morning, helping me see life with a new perspective.