[Biblemat] A>Life's Barnacles (Kent Heaton)

[Kent Heaton]

Life's Barnacles

(Kent Heaton)

 

There is something to be said about growing older. For most it is a time of emergent wisdom and maturity with the passing of years. The mind settles deeper into life long truths learned from the school of adversity. Youth's fleeting moments of yesterday dim in the passing of time. While the process of age increases an awareness of life's clarities there are other things that begin to hinder and clutter the mind, body and soul. These matters are much like barnacles found on the keels of ocean-going ships. 

Barnacles are salt-water shellfish which fasten themselves to objects under water. They are found on wharf piles, rocks, turtles, whales and ship bottoms. Barnacles must be scraped from the keels of ships periodically or they will reduce the speed of the vessels. It is in the adult stage of life these crustaceans become hard and fasten themselves in characteristic lime like boxes to objects. Life brings on its own barnacles that begin to hinder and slow our progress as children of God. The most recognized is the aging process. 

Solomon described the challenges of growing older in Ecclesiastes 12. The normal course of life with its dimming eye sight, feeble motions of the body lacking strength, grinders few, sleepless nights, fear of heights and voice weak with age are burdens that slow us down. These barnacles can hinder our spiritual growth as we believe our effectiveness has diminished. There is still much for older saints to do for the Lord. Older men and women need to share their wealth of knowledge with the young (Titus 2). Moses was eighty years old when he lead the people out of Israel; Daniel served his Lord diligently well into his eighties and probably nineties. 

Often we allow the weight of spiritual concerns to distract our simple faith in God. With age come the battle scars of yesterday's struggles and tomorrows disquieting chasm's that must be crossed. Have you sat in worship services finding it difficult to enjoy the simple pleasure of youthful devotion clouded by the myriad of problems to be solved; needs of brethren; sorrow at lost souls; personal challenges; answers to rid life of the barnacles that hinder and slow our progress? Of all that Paul endured as an apostle of Jesus Christ he wrote: "Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches . If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities" (2 Corinthians 11:28-30). Paul had barnacles.

As with ships that travel the vast oceans of our world, our lives are filled with the accumulating barnacles of the challenges of life. Some we must scrape away to help our journey. Those who care for spiritual matters will be burdened with the care of the Lord's work. It is hard to imagine the spirit of Paul caring for "all the churches" but he accepted those things and slowed little in his work for God. Like Paul, we should never slow in our work for the Kingdom of God. 

Barnacles will multiply through the infirmities of life, challenges that test our faith and increased love for the work of Jesus Christ. The joy of the Christian is to know that one day God will take all our barnacles away - "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away" (Revelation 21:4). As renewed ships we will sail into the safety of God's harbor to dwell with Him through the eternal ages. Until then - sail on - barnacles and all.


Kent Heaton
207 NE Fourth Avenue
Trenton, Florida 32693
352-463-6916
kerux at bellsouth.net
www.trentonchurchofchrist.com
www.northfloridabiblecamp.com
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