Good evening brethren and Happy Sabbath! Just reminder we will have Sabbath school after services in all three congregations tomorrow.

Cleaning house

I’ve been doing some purging of late. Going through the house, looking at things I don’t use or want and getting rid them. Some things likes clothes and toys the kids have outgrown are easy choices. Other things, like nuts, bolts or old ink pens are harder because I think to myself, “I could use that some day.” Still other items are difficult to get rid of because they hold sentimental value.

Then of course there’s things that are no-brainers - a wadded up piece of paper, and shoes that are worn out and petrified, forgotten in a corner of a closet. They don’t have any use at all any more and hold no value whatsoever.

Old and…worthless?

Being the handyman that I am, occasionally, I run across things such as spare parts that I bought that are still new in the box. Maybe a car part, or a part for the dishwasher that I bought and never needed and forgot to return.  The parts are old and I have no need for them any more, but does that make them worthless? Not necessarily…

In fact, depending on the part, it can be quite valuable, worth even more than when it was new. For example, if the original manufacturer of a car or appliance no longer makes spare parts, sometimes a different manufacturer will make replacement parts.  The problem is, these parts are often of inferior quality. Thus, if you happen to have a part made by the original manufacturer, people are often willing to pay extra for it.

What is valuable?

So why do I share this? As we age, we realize we aren’t what we used to be. We’re not as young and full of energy as we once were and often times our strength and stamina are diminished. Maybe we lack desire, or are no longer part of the workforce and can’t contribute financially to things as we once did. In short, we sometimes feel like we lose value as we get older. 

But is that really true?

Absolutely not.

While getting older isn’t always fun, it brings with it something that we lacked when we were young and full of energy - wisdom. The question is, what do we do with that wisdom? Well, to start, we live more wisely today. But beyond that, make sure you pass on what you’ve learned so the next generation benefits from your wisdom as well.