12-29-21 A Lesson Learned

A Lesson Learned :: By Edwin Tan Published on: November 9, 2021 by RRadmin7 Category:General Articles The Lord gave all of us an irrevocable promise in Isaiah 65:17. “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former shall not be remembered or come to mind.” Forget the swinging times some of us had in our youth? Hmmm! Problem is, there is a whole package containing the niceties and the nasties. As far as the mortal body is concerned, there is truly no case of selective memory programming. Science fiction could make a case for this. Wishful thinking! Scientific research is currently taking on an ugly twist. Just take a look at what has transpired over the past year or so! A simple question – has the overall quality of life picked up for the billions which populate the planet? Not the case as the global pandemic shows no sign of receding – the caseload keeps adding up to the point that critical care units get overwhelmed. Not a pretty picture, something many would wish was merely a bad dream, but this is a reality so grim. The people who passed on before the first quarter of 2020 missed it, but for those who live on right up to the present day, the truth is unavoidable. So, on such an increasingly somber note, how some would cherish the thought that all these unkind happenings would be permanently erased from memory! If you believe in the Word of God, it will be so! It is explicitly stated in 1 Corinthians 15:51-53. “Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed-In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed, For this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.” A human body in a corruptible setting does little favors for those who are on the aging trajectory. I found this aspect of the fallen nature hard to swallow, but it could have been a whole lot worse if not for clinging on to the Blessed Hope. Half a decade ago past, my half a century was still in sunshine and lollipops mode before everything took a steep dive. It culminated in a jarring headache of a stroke, which led to a couple of coronary seizures. It could have ended there, but the Lord has His Way, which can only be understood by those who truly draw nigh to Him. It took a protracted period of lying in bed most of the time and assisted walking for the picture to form. If it were years back in my forties, I would have scowled upon waking up. But because of trusting God, I stayed calm. By doing so, it dawned on me that this earthly body that is fault-laden is no good to us. It would fail the mortal structure at a certain point in time – more the reason for longing for the moment whereby all the negativity would be blotted out for good! Aside from my situation that saw little strength, I saw the cruel fragility that is inherent in the corruptible realm. My ward had several individuals stricken with varying degrees of dementia. One of them turned out to be violent to the extent that security had to be roped in to assist the ward staff. These violent cases had to be restrained, and it only aggravated the situation – there was a barely bearable din [a continued loud noise]! There was also an attractive lady in her early thirties who was stricken with cerebral palsy and hallucinations. When she hallucinated, the entire ward could not evade her loud expletives, which were punctuated by ear-piercing bawls. A young doctor adopted a stance of resignation to the inevitability when I asked him about his take on dementia! One thing crossed my mind. Some of these dementia sufferers could have had a different lifestyle decades ago. They could have stomped on the status symbol pathway then. These people were indeed a sullen shadow of their former selves. The same was true for those with renal disabilities requiring regular dialysis. Decades ago, they could be savoring palatable stuff at some fine dining joint – but not anymore! So I get it plain and simple – the package that comes with the corruptible course brings hardly any cheer. You think about it; is it worth it all? So when we rest our hope in the incorruptible through the imminency of the Rapture, it is truly positive news. In a split second, our faulty bodies will be transformed. This new body will come with a fully refreshed mind. All the known diseases will be vanquished forever, the same being so for clinical therapies and medical institutions. No need for health care personnel; there are more fruit-bearing roles in His eternal Kingdom! In our new status quo, it will be unending joy beyond compare, which surpasses human comprehension. Isaiah 11:6 gives you an idea of what it will be like. “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, The leopard shall lie down with the young goat, The calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little child shall lead them.” Maranatha Edwin