None of us are getting any younger. We cannot reverse the clock. Each day it is ticking, drawing us through another year. Evidences of aging begin to be noticed. Some signs of growing older are visible, like wrinkles and whitening of hair. Other things might include changes in vision, hearing, memory and muscle strength. Often our bones begin to deteriorate, our sleep patterns fluctuate and the energy we once had starts to diminish. As our years of life increase and our physical abilities decrease, what a comfort it is to know that the Lord who has carried us this far, will be our God throughout our lifetime, until our hair is white with age. He who made us will care for us and carry us along. It is extremely rare to find a lifetime warranty offered on anything, but God guarantees His commitment to us, now and for eternity.
I saw these truths being lived out in the lives of my parents. As they aged their physical bodies began to manifest the truth of their years. Dad especially struggled. Due to no fault of his own, but a medical error made after a day-surgery procedure at the hospital, his life changed drastically. His capabilities became so impaired that a need arose for long-term care. Regardless where you live, obtaining assisted-living or securing a place in a nursing home is challenging. With years of wait when needs are immediate, it can be a very stressful time for all the family.
I recall all the paperwork and home visits to assess my dad's needs. At a time of such emotional stress, the grueling process of interviews and endless documentation is exhausting. After going through these preliminary stages, you then wait. Our family had decided on the location of three possible placements, but in reality, these requests seemed futile. Since Dad was listed as "critical", he would go wherever a bed opened up as available.
I will never forget the day my sisters and I received "the call". A room had become accessible at a destination that would have been at the bottom of everyone's list. With hearts overwhelmed by the decision before us, we were given 24 hours to give our answer, but if we refused this opening, Dad's name would be removed from the "critical" list and we would mostly likely wait years for a placement due to the demand of the needs of the aging.
My sisters and I fell to our knees in prayer. In complete brokenness we called out to the Lord to guide us. Although policy maintains that if a loved one is placed outside of a families desired choice for care, there is still possibility of a move ahead, but we had not seen or heard this actually fulfilled for anyone. Once a resident is settled in a location, it is very rare for any transfer to occur. We knew Dad needed help, and even though we could not understand what was happening, we surrendered the decision to the Lord.
The following morning, my time in God's Word found me in Isaiah 46. I embraced the assurance of God carrying, delivering and saving my dad. With complete trust in what the Lord would do we waited for the phone to ring. Around 11am we received the call. The director of the home began with an apology. Overnight many residents had contacted the flu, and guidelines restricted any new residents from gaining entrance until the Health Department gave clearance. Heartbroken for the illness that had touched so many making this shut-down mandatory, our total trust became total praise as my sisters and I fell to our knees in awe and thanksgiving for how the Lord protected and provided.
But it gets even better! Just a couple of days later we received another phone call. It was our case worker. Not only was there an opening for Dad at a nursing home, but it was at our #1 location! We had been told that it was impossible for Dad to go there, but not with our God! Yes Lord, You will be our God throughout our lifetime - until our hair is white with age. Thank You for Your constant, loving care.
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