“Remembering a sin we have committed does not mean that the sin has not been forgiven. This remembrance of our sins is only a warning to us lest we become proud and sin again. In fact, we—not God—are the ones who cannot forgive ourselves. We cannot forgive ourselves because of our pride. A genuine sign that a sin has been forgiven is the fact that it has not been repeated, and we are at peace. It is also important how we spend the last years of our lives. A God-pleasing life in old age blots out the sins of youth.”
Excerpt From: St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood. “Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives.” Saint Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, 2013-09-26.
My father often said ‘Getting old is not for the faint- hearted” and as I age in my 60’s I am beginning to know this to be true. However, emotionally and spiritually I love this time of life. I have the time to genuinely care for others without my ego needing to be stroked. I can relax into God’s presence without having to set an alarm to remind me of the next task at hand. I’m at peace in a way that was more difficult to achieve with the hormones of youth. And the above quote comforts me.
My father lived the last 20 years of his life as a consistent though certainly flawed faithful servant of Jesus Christ. Those years were truly one of a God-pleasing life. His example thruly inspires me to do the same. May the last decades of my life be as God- pleasing not for my own sake but for the sake of all whom I touch.
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