“Dear Sue and Brad—‘Thank you’ so very much for adding to the joy of my 90th birthday. As my dear dad would have said…it was a real humdinger!” So began a recent letter written to my in-laws. I do not know the author of this letter. However, I feel a sense of connection to her as my mother-in-law’s piano teacher, who influenced my own wife’s piano lessons, eventuating in years of worship ministry in the churches where we have served. Teachers of all stripes may never know how the impact of their faithful instruction trickles down from one generation to the next.
But what really caught my eye, in this letter, is that which is recorded on the second page. (Yes, there are people who still write letters, long hand, in cursive, comprising multiple pages. Not everything worth saying is contained in an email, a facebook post, or 140 characters!) After reflecting on her age, she wrote of Billy Graham recently turning 95, which aroused reflection on the great preachers she has been blessed to hear. She went on to write, “Breaks my heart that so many are so lost…when this wonderful teaching is all around us…just for the taking. God’s wonderful roadmap has made all of the difference in my life.” Of course, that was the point of the reformation, that God’s Word would be made available to all, “just for the taking.” It is so sad, but true, how we take for granted our access to teaching from God’s Word. But I really appreciate the testimony that this 90 year old woman gives regarding the importance of the Bible as the roadmap to life. It sounds an awful lot like the wisdom of the psalmist, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path” (Psalm 119:105). Of course, in this neophyte culture ever infatuated with the latest song, video, or i-gadget, the notion of listening to a woman who doesn’t even own a computer must seem less than attractive. But I wonder how much we might gain if we took the time to open our ears to our betters who have experienced so much life? And what life experience does this 90 year old woman share? “At this age, I now know God keeps his promises to the faithful. I can remember in my early Christian walk…I stayed on his path even when my old flesh nature wanted to rebel.” Old flesh nature? Rebel? Is she implying that we shouldn’t be free to pursue any and every desire? Isn’t it inauthentic to refuse oneself whatever is desired? I can just hear Veruca Salt, “Daddy, I want another pony!” Yet her clear implication is that denying ourselves what we desire is sometimes the most authentic thing we can do! There is a right way and a wrong way. As we read in Proverbs, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death” (Proverbs 14:12 and 16:25; a thought so nice, God said it twice). And if we would find the right way, we must make Scripture our roadmap. We must choose both to use the map and do what it says. How are we able to do what it says? Grace. “Now I realize I was always given grace to do the right thing even when my old nature was fighting against it.” That grace which she speaks of is the very grace of Romans 6-8 which reveals that Jesus’ sin-conquering death not only forgives us from sin’s penalty, but frees us from sin’s power. It is the grace that teaches us “to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age” (Titus 2:12). Here is a lady with no formal theological training who, by grace, has embraced Scripture as her roadmap and has reaped the benefits. I remember one of my seminary professors saying that the little old lady in the pew knows more about Scripture than many a seminary graduate, because she has absorbed the Word all of her life, and the Biblical worldview along with it. Though I’ve never met this woman, a three page epistle is enough for me to see that years of absorbing Scripture has formed her worldview. And it’s her love for Scripture that moves her to write, “So sad more people are not seeking all this great teaching…. Now, at this age, I realize Romans 8:28-29 was true all my life. I’ve been a very blessed old lady.” Of course, the passage to which she alludes is that wonderful promise, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). I’m guessing this 90 year old woman would be hard pressed to defrag a hard drive, or upload a picture to the web, or even operate a smart phone. But the things about which she may be ignorant, things that seem so important to our culture, are nothing compared to the things she has learned. May we grow in knowledge of that which is truly important, may we adopt God’s Word as our roadmap for life, may we be willing to receive the advice of an old piano teacher.
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Dan GannonDan has ministered at Renton Bible Church, with his wife Debbie, since 2003. Archives
June 2022
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