Pastor’s Column

By the Rev. Nancy Overgaard, Thorne Crest Retirement Community

“I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord…and being found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ.” Philippians 3:8-9

Serving as chaplain of Thorne Crest Retirement Community, I have been struck by the depth of Christian faith in countless residents. It appears that many in the “builder generation” dedicated their lives not only to building their communities and nation. They devoted a lifetime to building their relationship with the Lord.

The Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Philippians (3:7-14) that his one overriding goal in life was to know Christ. Toward that goal, he kept pressing.

So, it seems, have many in the Thorne Crest community. Recently, I was privileged to leaf through the notebook of one dear saint (for that is what Paul called all believers in Christ) who taught the Bethel Bible Series decades ago. Alongside printed lessons from that in depth study are pages upon pages of her handwritten notes and impressive attendance records. In addition to raising a family and working outside the home she burned cases of midnight oil poring over the Bible lessons she would teach to others of her generation.

The fruit is evident in her kind and gentle spirit, perseverance in the face of devastating losses (including a spouse of over 70 years), and serenity as she approaches the end of this life. It was also evident in the life of one of her students whom I was privileged to meet.

Visiting another nonagenarian, I discovered he was not without devotional resources despite failing eyesight. Unable to read, he made it a practice to meditate on Scriptures he memorized in younger years. As the writer of Ecclesiastes perceptively and poetically urges us all to do (12:1-5) he had spent his healthy years getting to know God before his hearing and eyesight failed and his health began to get frail. It gave him a tremendous advantage in those later years.

Theirs are not the only stories. Daily I am astounded by the profound love evident in the caregiving of spouses one to another in the face of declining health. Daily, I am witness to quiet acts of kindness by residents one to another whether in the form of errands or empathy. Daily, I feast on a banquet of thoughtful, encouraging words. It all traces back to their knowing God.

Were it not for the frequency with which we wince with the pain of losing these dear ones as they go to be with the Lord, I might think it a bit of heaven on earth.

So I commend their pursuit of God to you and pray that God will give you a heart to know Him (Jeremiah 24:7) as He seems to have done for them. For, if He does, you will be truly blessed and so will those around you.