There are two types of unprepared people—those who know they are unprepared and those who don’t. Wouldn’t you rather be the former than the latter? Marriage, parenting, old age, and death form a tetrad of events that radically influence family life. How to prepare for this hand- ful of life’s monumental changes is the focus for this lesson.
No one likes to be caught unprepared. Pop quizzes, unexpected visits from friends or foes, and surprise inspections can create a knot in the stomach. The interesting thing about the tetrad of events under discus- sion is that the first two are by choice, and the last two are inevitable (notwithstanding an untimely birth or death, respectively). We can pre- pare for things we choose and know will happen. So, for the most part, we are in a position to carefully prepare for these events.
The Bible is rare among ancient literature in that it does not gloss over the failures of its heroes nor exaggerate their successes. The lesson authors highlight the fact that Scripture portrays life in an uncensored fashion. The mistakes of others are in the Bible for all to see, and, if taken seriously, serve as warning beacons. In addition, the testimonies of people’s lives all around us confirm the truthfulness and timeliness of Bible principles. The following stories are two of thousands of stories that we could all share that show the folly of not preparing for old age and death in a way that glorifies the Giver of life.
Part II: Commentary
Health Illustration
Joseph grew up knowing both his grandfathers. Their closing years haunted him as an adult as he reflected on death and old age, the sec- tions for this week’s Bible study guide. Unfortunately, his grandfathers’ experiences serve well to illustrate two paths to avoid. Their “blood cries out,” so to speak, in warning, directing all to different paths than the ones they took.
Joseph and his wife were backpacking in the Sierra Nevadas when the call came that “Grandpa A” wasn’t doing well. He had suffered a heart attack earlier that year. But things were not improving as hoped. Now he was being cared for by relatives. Joseph and his wife detoured over to see this once-robust angler who had taken Joseph halibut fishing in the Pacific Ocean and always had time for ice-cream stops with his grandson. Joseph and his wife entered his grandfather’s room, where he lay fully dressed on the top covers of a bed. He was unusually rigid, as if immobilized. The dim lights and depressive atmosphere foreshadowed the inevitable. He recognized his grandson. They shared a few incon- sequential words. Then he interrupted their conversation by spurting out four words that have haunted Joseph ever since: “Your health . . . is everything.” He repeated the words as if they were going to be his last: “Your health is everything.” Afterward, Joseph could not remember a single word of the conversation before, or subsequent to, that fateful pronouncement. He and his wife left. Soon after their visit, Joseph’s grandfather went to his rest. But to this day, Joseph can still hear the des- peration in his grandfather’s voice as he intoned his deathbed revelation: “Your health is everything.” Sadly, such a revelation on health comes all too often to many only after they lose it.
That revelation shouldn’t be earth-shattering news to lifelong Adventists like Joseph or others. After all, we have the health message. Joseph, like so many of us, didn’t drink, smoke, or eat unclean meats. He exercised periodically. What did he have to fear? At that time, he was much more interested in studying the Bible than in “all that health stuff,” which he didn’t have time for anyway. Worst of all, the health message seemed to turn some Adventists into legalistic fanatics. Joseph surely wasn’t going to go that route. He even convinced himself that his peri- odic but frequent indulgences were healthy signs of “balance” and proof of nonlegalism and nonfanaticism. As he reflected on his past dismissal of making health a priority, Paul’s words came to his mind: “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child” (1 Cor. 13:11, ESV). Thankfully, his grandpa’s words finally took effect in his life. Better late than never, as they say.
This lesson does not intend to be a health seminar. But it does propose that a brief perspective change in how we look at health is appropriate. As aging relatives decline and eventually go to their rest, one starts to see lifelong health habits culminate in conditions of either elderly vitality or premature decrepitude. What we once thought were diseases of old age or genetics are now seen to be more dependent on lifestyle. The lifestyle factor in the United States, for example, that is causing the most deaths is both eye-opening and surprising. “The State of U.S. Health, 1990–2010 Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors” lists 17 risk factors related to death and disability (see U.S. Burden of Disease Collaborators, “The State of U.S. Health, 1990–2010 Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors,” JAMA 310, no. 6 [2013]: 600, doi:10.1001/jama.2013.13805).
It turns out that there is one particular risk factor topping the charts for both death and disability. Let that sink in for a moment. The same risk factor related to the most deaths in the U.S. and the most years lost because of disability (and death) are the same. Any guesses? One might think the number one risk factor was alcohol, tobacco smoking, being overweight, or being inactive. Good guesses but wrong ones. The number one risk factor is what we put in our mouths every day: it is the food we eat. Don’t be fooled by food labeled “organic,” “vegan,” “gluten- free,” “vegetarian,” “natural,” etc. There is now a consensus among a number of health professionals that a diet consisting of primarily whole, unrefined plant foods, such as grains, beans, fruits, and vegetables, substantially reduces one’s risk for numerous common diseases. Such luminaries in preventive health as Caldwell B. Esselstyn Jr., T. Colin Campbell, Dean Ornish, and John A. McDoughall are in agreement with the above assessment on the role of diet on health. Neal Barnard and Michael Greger are recent advocates, as well. Each of these men holds medical degrees or PhDs in nutrition. For further information, their presence is ubiquitous on the Internet. Ellen White, ahead of her time as usual, stated more than a hundred years ago that “grains, fruits, nuts, and vegetables constitute the diet chosen for us by our Creator.”—The Ministry of Healing, p. 296.
Often, we don’t like to be told what to eat. The current mantra is “I’d rather eat what I want and die happy.” But those who eat “what they want,” ignoring a healthful diet, often don’t die happy. Instead, they die of long-drawn-out debilitating diseases or sudden premature death, as the U.S. report shows. Of course, sometimes disease and death are completely out of our control. But as Dr. Kim Williams, president of the American College of Cardiology, a man who abstains from all animal products, explains: “I don’t mind dying; I just don’t want it to be my fault.”—Jason Kelly, “Heal Thyself,” The University of Chicago Magazine, http://mag.uchicago.edu/science-medicine/heal-thyself. Both David and Hezekiah see death as something to avoid. Why? Because praise to God ceases at death (Isa. 38:18, Ps. 115:17). Encourage the class to realize that the simple (but sometimes difficult) step of chang- ing one’s food habits is crucial for preparing for a long life of health and happiness in the Lord.
Wisdom Illustration
“Grandpa B” was a successful man. He retired wealthy and spent his closing years playing golf and enjoying the amenities of an upper-class retirement community. During a rare family gathering, Grandpa B’s adult grandchildren, including Joseph, gathered around him and asked if he could tell them what he had learned in his 80 years of life. After a few uncomfortable moments, it was obvious that Joseph’s grandfather had no wisdom to pass on to his progeny. Afterward, Joseph and his cousins talked of a life that had been spent in acquiring wealth at the expense of relationships and wisdom. Their grandfather’s life was a reminder that the richest legacy one can pass on to the next generation is a wisdom sourced in “the fear of the Lord” (Ps. 111:10) and a model of godly liv- ing. Wisdom such as this cannot be acquired at the last minute; it has to be lived out for years. Encourage the class to understand that now is the time to acquire such an experience.
The famed journalist Malcolm Muggeridge, who lived a rather disso- lute life, came to Christ in his later years. His words are the wise counsel that need to be passed on to, and heeded by, the next generation so that the rest of us don’t get to the end of earthly sojourn and realize we’ve wasted our lives. “I may, I suppose, regard myself as a relatively success- ful man. People occasionally stare at me in the streets; that’s fame. I can fairly easily earn enough money to qualify for admission to the higher slopes of the Internal Revenue Service. That’s success. Furnished with money and a little fame, even the elderly, if they care to, may partake of friendly diversions. That’s pleasure. It might happen once in a while that something I said or wrote was sufficiently heeded for me to persuade myself that it represented a serious impact on our time. That’s fulfill- ment. Yet, I say to you, and I beg you to believe me, multiply these tiny triumphs by millions, add them all up together, and they are nothing, less than nothing. Indeed, a positive impediment measured against one drop of that living water Christ offers to the spiritually thirsty, irrespective of who or what they are.”—In Ravi Zacharias, Can Man Live Without God (Nashville: W Publishing Group, 1994), p. 116.
If possible, seek out some long-lived, sage men and women who are willing to share with the class some godly gems of wisdom they’ve learned.
Part III: Life Application
Some steps for preparing for marriage, parenting, and old age are the same. First, read all the counsels, proverbs, and stories in the Bible on those topics. Second, read Christian-based, extrabiblical material from authors who specialize in those areas. Next, interview/dialogue with married couples, parents, and elderly individuals in order to receive the clearest picture possible of those events.
Another practical step is to “count the cost” (Luke 14:28, ESV). This step applies directly to each person, whether marriage and parenting are in one’s future, and, indirectly, to old age and death. Consider such questions as:
There are elderly people right now in their 70s and 80s who are backpacking up mountains, and there are elderly people of the same age who are struggling up a flight of stairs. What lifestyle changes do I need to adopt today to give me the best chances of optimal health for those later years?
Having children is a tremendous blessing (Ps.127:3–5)—but also a sacrifice of one’s time, resources, and energy. The moment they are born there is an ever-present concern over their safety, devel- opment, well-being, and salvation. All planning, moving, and spontaneity become significantly more complex. The love bond we have with children makes it all worth it in the moment, but all too many fail to ask the important question of whether children coincide well with the life direction in which the Lord is leading them.
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There are two types of unprepared people—those who know they are unprepared and those who don’t. Wouldn’t you rather be the former than the latter? Marriage, parenting, old age, and death form a tetrad of events that radically influence family life. How to prepare for this hand- ful of life’s monumental changes is the focus for this lesson.
No one likes to be caught unprepared. Pop quizzes, unexpected visits from friends or foes, and surprise inspections can create a knot in the stomach. The interesting thing about the tetrad of events under discus- sion is that the first two are by choice, and the last two are inevitable (notwithstanding an untimely birth or death, respectively). We can pre- pare for things we choose and know will happen. So, for the most part, we are in a position to carefully prepare for these events.
The Bible is rare among ancient literature in that it does not gloss over the failures of its heroes nor exaggerate their successes. The lesson authors highlight the fact that Scripture portrays life in an uncensored fashion. The mistakes of others are in the Bible for all to see, and, if taken seriously, serve as warning beacons. In addition, the testimonies of people’s lives all around us confirm the truthfulness and timeliness of Bible principles. The following stories are two of thousands of stories that we could all share that show the folly of not preparing for old age and death in a way that glorifies the Giver of life.
Part II: Commentary
Health Illustration
Joseph grew up knowing both his grandfathers. Their closing years haunted him as an adult as he reflected on death and old age, the sec- tions for this week’s Bible study guide. Unfortunately, his grandfathers’ experiences serve well to illustrate two paths to avoid. Their “blood cries out,” so to speak, in warning, directing all to different paths than the ones they took.
Joseph and his wife were backpacking in the Sierra Nevadas when the call came that “Grandpa A” wasn’t doing well. He had suffered a heart attack earlier that year. But things were not improving as hoped. Now he was being cared for by relatives. Joseph and his wife detoured over to see this once-robust angler who had taken Joseph halibut fishing in the Pacific Ocean and always had time for ice-cream stops with his grandson. Joseph and his wife entered his grandfather’s room, where he lay fully dressed on the top covers of a bed. He was unusually rigid, as if immobilized. The dim lights and depressive atmosphere foreshadowed the inevitable. He recognized his grandson. They shared a few incon- sequential words. Then he interrupted their conversation by spurting out four words that have haunted Joseph ever since: “Your health . . . is everything.” He repeated the words as if they were going to be his last: “Your health is everything.” Afterward, Joseph could not remember a single word of the conversation before, or subsequent to, that fateful pronouncement. He and his wife left. Soon after their visit, Joseph’s grandfather went to his rest. But to this day, Joseph can still hear the des- peration in his grandfather’s voice as he intoned his deathbed revelation: “Your health is everything.” Sadly, such a revelation on health comes all too often to many only after they lose it.
That revelation shouldn’t be earth-shattering news to lifelong Adventists like Joseph or others. After all, we have the health message. Joseph, like so many of us, didn’t drink, smoke, or eat unclean meats. He exercised periodically. What did he have to fear? At that time, he was much more interested in studying the Bible than in “all that health stuff,” which he didn’t have time for anyway. Worst of all, the health message seemed to turn some Adventists into legalistic fanatics. Joseph surely wasn’t going to go that route. He even convinced himself that his peri- odic but frequent indulgences were healthy signs of “balance” and proof of nonlegalism and nonfanaticism. As he reflected on his past dismissal of making health a priority, Paul’s words came to his mind: “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child” (1 Cor. 13:11, ESV). Thankfully, his grandpa’s words finally took effect in his life. Better late than never, as they say.
This lesson does not intend to be a health seminar. But it does propose that a brief perspective change in how we look at health is appropriate. As aging relatives decline and eventually go to their rest, one starts to see lifelong health habits culminate in conditions of either elderly vitality or premature decrepitude. What we once thought were diseases of old age or genetics are now seen to be more dependent on lifestyle. The lifestyle factor in the United States, for example, that is causing the most deaths is both eye-opening and surprising. “The State of U.S. Health, 1990–2010 Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors” lists 17 risk factors related to death and disability (see U.S. Burden of Disease Collaborators, “The State of U.S. Health, 1990–2010 Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors,” JAMA 310, no. 6 [2013]: 600, doi:10.1001/jama.2013.13805).
It turns out that there is one particular risk factor topping the charts for both death and disability. Let that sink in for a moment. The same risk factor related to the most deaths in the U.S. and the most years lost because of disability (and death) are the same. Any guesses? One might think the number one risk factor was alcohol, tobacco smoking, being overweight, or being inactive. Good guesses but wrong ones. The number one risk factor is what we put in our mouths every day: it is the food we eat. Don’t be fooled by food labeled “organic,” “vegan,” “gluten- free,” “vegetarian,” “natural,” etc. There is now a consensus among a number of health professionals that a diet consisting of primarily whole, unrefined plant foods, such as grains, beans, fruits, and vegetables, substantially reduces one’s risk for numerous common diseases. Such luminaries in preventive health as Caldwell B. Esselstyn Jr., T. Colin Campbell, Dean Ornish, and John A. McDoughall are in agreement with the above assessment on the role of diet on health. Neal Barnard and Michael Greger are recent advocates, as well. Each of these men holds medical degrees or PhDs in nutrition. For further information, their presence is ubiquitous on the Internet. Ellen White, ahead of her time as usual, stated more than a hundred years ago that “grains, fruits, nuts, and vegetables constitute the diet chosen for us by our Creator.”—The Ministry of Healing, p. 296.
Often, we don’t like to be told what to eat. The current mantra is “I’d rather eat what I want and die happy.” But those who eat “what they want,” ignoring a healthful diet, often don’t die happy. Instead, they die of long-drawn-out debilitating diseases or sudden premature death, as the U.S. report shows. Of course, sometimes disease and death are completely out of our control. But as Dr. Kim Williams, president of the American College of Cardiology, a man who abstains from all animal products, explains: “I don’t mind dying; I just don’t want it to be my fault.”—Jason Kelly, “Heal Thyself,” The University of Chicago Magazine, http://mag.uchicago.edu/science-medicine/heal-thyself. Both David and Hezekiah see death as something to avoid. Why? Because praise to God ceases at death (Isa. 38:18, Ps. 115:17). Encourage the class to realize that the simple (but sometimes difficult) step of chang- ing one’s food habits is crucial for preparing for a long life of health and happiness in the Lord.
Wisdom Illustration
“Grandpa B” was a successful man. He retired wealthy and spent his closing years playing golf and enjoying the amenities of an upper-class retirement community. During a rare family gathering, Grandpa B’s adult grandchildren, including Joseph, gathered around him and asked if he could tell them what he had learned in his 80 years of life. After a few uncomfortable moments, it was obvious that Joseph’s grandfather had no wisdom to pass on to his progeny. Afterward, Joseph and his cousins talked of a life that had been spent in acquiring wealth at the expense of relationships and wisdom. Their grandfather’s life was a reminder that the richest legacy one can pass on to the next generation is a wisdom sourced in “the fear of the Lord” (Ps. 111:10) and a model of godly liv- ing. Wisdom such as this cannot be acquired at the last minute; it has to be lived out for years. Encourage the class to understand that now is the time to acquire such an experience.
The famed journalist Malcolm Muggeridge, who lived a rather disso- lute life, came to Christ in his later years. His words are the wise counsel that need to be passed on to, and heeded by, the next generation so that the rest of us don’t get to the end of earthly sojourn and realize we’ve wasted our lives. “I may, I suppose, regard myself as a relatively success- ful man. People occasionally stare at me in the streets; that’s fame. I can fairly easily earn enough money to qualify for admission to the higher slopes of the Internal Revenue Service. That’s success. Furnished with money and a little fame, even the elderly, if they care to, may partake of friendly diversions. That’s pleasure. It might happen once in a while that something I said or wrote was sufficiently heeded for me to persuade myself that it represented a serious impact on our time. That’s fulfill- ment. Yet, I say to you, and I beg you to believe me, multiply these tiny triumphs by millions, add them all up together, and they are nothing, less than nothing. Indeed, a positive impediment measured against one drop of that living water Christ offers to the spiritually thirsty, irrespective of who or what they are.”—In Ravi Zacharias, Can Man Live Without God (Nashville: W Publishing Group, 1994), p. 116.
If possible, seek out some long-lived, sage men and women who are willing to share with the class some godly gems of wisdom they’ve learned.
Part III: Life Application
Some steps for preparing for marriage, parenting, and old age are the same. First, read all the counsels, proverbs, and stories in the Bible on those topics. Second, read Christian-based, extrabiblical material from authors who specialize in those areas. Next, interview/dialogue with married couples, parents, and elderly individuals in order to receive the clearest picture possible of those events.
Another practical step is to “count the cost” (Luke 14:28, ESV). This step applies directly to each person, whether marriage and parenting are in one’s future, and, indirectly, to old age and death. Consider such questions as: