A Personal Reflection on Ancestral Relationships

 Context: Reproduced from a FB post I read 3 years ago.

"I asked an elderly man once what it was like to be old and to know the majority of his life was behind him. He told me that he has been the same age his entire life. He said the voice inside of his head had never aged. He has always just been the same boy. His mother's son. He had always wondered when he would grow up and be an old man. He said he watched his body age and his faculties dull but the person he is inside never got tired. Never aged. Never changed.

Our spirits are eternal. Our souls are forever. The next time you encounter an elderly person, look at them and know they are still a child, just as you are still a child and children will always need love, attention and purpose." Via @lue Ridge Believers

From the author: My comment from a biblical perspective.

I feel the same way. I don´t spend a lot of time in front of the mirror because I know that the man I see in front of me is not who I am. It´s just that younger people have not discovered that yet. It´s a matter of understanding the big things in life, the things that count, the essentials, understanding that of the answers lie in the questions as witnessed in the rearranging of the words in a sentence to transform an affirmative sentence into a interrogative one, in some languages such as French, German and Spanish.

It´s a matter of time and space that matter and for that matter we can add the relationships formed and mantained by a mutual and reciprocal consent and agreement of trust, respect and good will toward others.

In the encounter with Jesus with Mary and Martha we read: "40But Martha was distracted by all the preparations to be made. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her to help me!” 41“Martha, Martha,” the Lord replied, “you are worried and upset about many things. 42But only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, and it will not be taken away from her.”… Luke 10:40-42

What was Mary doing? She sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. Luke 10:39.

Words have meaning and if we loose the primary meaning that has taken 1000s of years to develop in the communication system with their association, we end up in a confusing, chaotic situation similar to the one in Babel which was initiated by God himself.

It´s uncanny, every time I wander the streets of my city, I see all kind of people, some are scared, others wear their pain, their scars, their deep sadness on their faces, in their eyes. What is refreshing though is to cross path with older people, couples who understand life and living and exchange with you a twinkle in their eyes, sometimes even without saying a good morning, have a good day, or nodding their head because they have perceived the eternal truths that take a life time to fathom, that in spite of everything life can throw at you, in the end there are 3 things that matter the most: faith, hope and love and love is what remains.

The future is in the older generation; Melchizedek and Abraham.

…9And so to speak, Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham. 10For when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in the loin of his ancestor. Hebrews 7:10.

Learn from the past and what your elders have to offer you, the stories, the songs, their cherished memories, the treasures they have discovered and are willing to share with you. Take the time to listen and especially ask questions about anything and everything, their inner ears are finely attuned to understand what you are going through, they have been there before in one form or another, in a different country, in a different language and you can form a lasting bond of friendship and closeness that will last into eternity. And remember that we need you as much as you need us.

Jean-Louis