Anyone who knows me is aware that I enjoy reading a great deal and usually find a recommendation from a friend a choice I will pick up. And so it was that someone recently recommended Atul Gawande’s 2014 best-selling book, Being Mortal, as a book everyone ought to read. As I look around my house these days, I need to decide on which books I buy and which others I might borrow from a digital library or listen to as an audiobook. This time I chose the audiobook since it could be a companion on a walk, but I now wonder if I will also buy the book as a reference.

Since it is not a new book, some (perhaps many) of you may already be acquainted with this title and its surgeon author, but it was new to me. It didn’t take me long to be caught up with the excellent audiobook narrator and the contents that brought together research as well as fascinating stories and interviews as this physician brings front and center the subject of our mortality. This topic is not one most of us jump into eagerly because even though we know we are mortal and life as we know it on this earth will end, we step back from talking (or learning) about what happens as we approach the end of what we know. Perhaps that is because the unknown combined with what we may have experienced leaves us uneasy and anxious over the impending loss of control.

The author, Dr. Atul Gawande, brings us front and center into the subject including what he as a physician was not trained to talk about as well as what medicine offers us now in the modern era. He honestly addresses the part medical personnel play in our dilemma about this subject due to the lack of information they give us as we age and become more frail and start that decline we dread. He makes clear that medicine at its best is there to address and fix a problem but aging and becoming more frail is not in itself a fixable problem and when it happens it is not usually one thing that goes wrong but a series of things that happen.

Dr. Gawande’s own history as the son of two physicians and grandson of a grandfather in India who lived until near 110 sets the stage for him to discover what he did not learn through his medical training. And he begins by outlining how medicine has changed over time and resulted in a very different system than those in western societies experienced in our grandparents and great-grandparents’ lifetimes. Back then, old age tended to be uncommon. As an example, in the United States in 1790, less than 2% of the population lived to the age of 65. The discoveries of medical science increased longevity and that was great news, but with it came other challenges like the shift in thinking between young and old and who would have control of places, positions, and ultimately their independence.

Along with that, choices about retirement age, where to live, what to do, and more abound as never before. Some, like the development of nursing homes, came from the medical community. Others came as counters to that choice including assisted living facilities, senior communities, home care, and a growing array of options to allow the seniors among us to retain as much independence and connection to the life they love as possible while providing them with safety and what medical care may be needed. These options grew also because Dr. Gawande notes “age is not a fixable problem” and doctors “have no answers.” Their answers are for specific problems, diseases, and diagnoses while aging is a complex set of systems that begin to wear out despite all we may do to prevent that. At some point the redundant systems our Creator put into our bodies result in too many failures that will lead to a problem that is not so fixable.

Two lenses are used to look at aging: the biological course and the cultural course on how we view aging. How those in the Roman Empire looked at this when the average life span was 28 is radically different no matter what lens is used for the average life span now that nudges us into the eighth decade of life for many (and beyond that for some).

Dr. Gawande takes the reader (or listener) through key topics in eight chapters: The Independent Self, Things Fall Apart, Dependence, Assistance, A Better Life, Letting Go, Hard Conversations, and Courage. In the process, you have a chance to look at the topics we don’t talk about and gain good information about how to go about aging as well as possible with less fear through more solid information and innovative ideas.

Even though the audiobook was to be a companion on my walks, I listened to some parts again as I wanted to take notes on things Dr. Gawande said and explained so well as he shared how what he has learned has changed his practice and life.

One of the things that stood out to me was when he described what he says a physician’s job is in supporting life and he puts it into two key sentences:

• To provide as much freedom from the ravages of disease as possible
• To retain enough function for active engagement in the world

Repeatedly, he makes the case for helping the aging maintain purpose and connection with living and the things they value most as keys to a better quality and quantity of life. He uses many examples that show treating the aging frail among us as children is not how to make the decline easier or better.

“The battle of being mortal is to retain the integrity of one’s life so who you are does not get disconnected from who you were or who you want to be.”

Dr. Gutal Gwande

I heartily recommend this book if you are older or if you are looking at helping someone you love who is older. Expect to be validated and encouraged instead of anxious and discouraged. After all, in this life, we must all face being mortal.

No matter whether our home is small or large, new, or old, most of us will have at least one table tucked inside. For many it will serve a variety of purposes depending on the need or even time of day. It may be where the first meal of the day is eaten and then become a workspace for someone who needs a large flat surface. Later it might serve as the place for study as students also need such a larger flat surface. And if we can do so, we will choose the table with a nod to our expected uses and favorite style.

I still remember the table in the kitchen of the farmhouse where I grew up. It served many purposes. Beyond the place where we had our meals, it was where my mother would carefully lay out patterns tacked onto fabric for her next dress. It was where I attacked my homework after school. During harvesting from the garden, it was often a place where it held freshly filled jars of jams, peaches, cherries, and other yummy things. It was the place she wrapped gifts and frosted cakes or cookies. There was no island so popular now, so it was used every moment of the day for one thing or another.

Of all the things I remember about that table, my fondest memories were when we had it opened to its widest expanse to make room for others to have a meal with us. My mother loved to cook, and I often said that she spelled love, “food.” Her other strong conviction was that those who were alone should not need to be alone to enjoy a meal so those who were single, widowed, or far from other family, were often invited to our table.

In the hectic-paced world most live in today, how many times does the table serve as a place to come together as a family or in community with one another? Yes, it has always had utilitarian uses, but it has been far more than simply another piece of furniture or a place to hold food or homework, papers, books, or pattern pieces.

Most any special occasion will involve gathering around a table to fellowship and celebrate whether it be in good times or bad. Breaking bread together has become a part of humankind life for a very long time. Some of that may be because eating is central and necessary to sustain human life, but something more than that happens around a table and as I have been reading The Common Rule: Habits of Purpose for an Age of Distraction by Justin Whittle Earley, that has come more sharply into focus.

“The table is the center of gravity. When we see food as fuel, we turn all of this on its head. We aren’t grateful to God; we assume our right to food. We aren’t grateful to each other; we create systems of food that embody the exploitation of our neighbors who grow, transport, prepare, and serve our food. We aren’t grateful to creation; we consume the earth’s food greedily and carelessly, as if it were ours to binge on and trash instead of ours to steward and cultivate into flourishing.”

Justin Whittle Earley

Even with moms and dads working and often arriving home at different times, children going here and there, and meals at dinner not routine many days, most will still value the table (this center of gravity) with care for how it will serve and represent them.

When we do come together around a table over food, it becomes formational for all the things we share and learn about one another in the process. It’s a place we learn about operationalizing love.

“Think of all the ways the values of love are communicated over food. We serve each other. We clean up after each other. We take turns. We share. We fight and forgive. We praise and compliment. We express gratitude. We tell stories and ask questions. We listen. We hear each other pray.”

Justin Whittle Earley

Dearest memories of the last years of my parents’ lives before they left this earth were times we were gathered around their table. Food was finished and we lingered at the table where we would ask a question that led to hearing my parents (especially my dad) tell stories of the days he was growing up or their early marriage together. Inevitably, one question would lead to another, and no one jumped up to turn on a TV or clear the dirty dishes. We were caught up in the important story of my parents’ life. There would usually be at least one funny story and laughter was common. Those later years were when I learned what a great storyteller my dad was. I think our grandchildren have had that experience with my husband (their grandpa) since he has been known not only to sample warm cookies on our kitchen table but also create fantasies about a year he lived with the Eskimos and more. It was a long time before they were old enough to know it was a story he had created.

For those who are involved with their faith, we find more than one or two times when we see a gathering around a table as we read the Bible. Some of our places of worship may have a painting of Jesus with the disciples coming together for that last Passover before He would be crucified. We remember it each time we come together to remember that sacrifice for the sacrament of Holy Communion. We get invited to that table and that is no small invitation.

“But we don’t get invited to the table because of anything we’ve done. We get invited because of what Jesus has done. This is why Christians regularly come to the Communion table to feast on the body and blood of Christ. It is a reminder that because of Christ, we will commune with God again over food.”

Justin Whittle Earley

Our oldest grandson will be married in a few months, and we look forward to being there to celebrate this wonderful occasion but despite how precious he is to us, we look forward even more to the feast of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb we read about in the book of Revelation 19 when we who believe in Him will be joined with Him at long last as He has always desired. That will surpass any celebration any of us have been part of or can imagine and the great thing for us is knowing we will share that time with those in our family (both present and past).

A table is not just a piece of furniture.

As we transition into a new season, whether we are in the northern or southern hemisphere, many of us get involved with the ritual of putting some things away and getting other things out that we need for the new season. Most of us entering autumn are stowing away the summer gear we used over the past few months. We’re shifting our closets from cool sleeveless tops and shirts to long-sleeved types and sweaters. Unless we live in a part of the world where weather remains stable all year long, we will repeat these tasks several more times as winter approaches, spring tiptoes in, and then summer returns.

Grass clippings scattered about the patio will soon be overrun by falling leaves in every shape and color. Apple cider will eclipse lemonade, and many will delight in the option of pumpkin spice lattes at their favorite coffee shop.

These season shifts nudge us to discover pesky places where clutter builds up and dust hides from us. Even if we are a tidy housekeeper, most of us will have those places that are not routinely checked for things that need to be cleaned up or cleared out.

When I was growing up it was one of two times a year when my mother would do a deep cleaning and touch those untouched places so easily overlooked or ignored. There would be window washing, cleaning under the stove and refrigerator, and moving furniture to discover the dust that had been missed during routine cleaning. Clothes would be pulled out of cedar chests where they had been stored and protected from moths who relished discovering an extra meal if they could find it during those summer months. It meant she would also sometimes discover something she had not known was there. Perhaps it was a few loose pieces of change from a pocket, an earring she had not been able to locate, or a card she had addressed and then could not find when it was time to send it. The season that happened in the autumn was one I seldom was asked to be part of as I returned to school and had limited hours to help, but I enjoyed the benefits and the fragrance of that deeper clean any time I walked in the door.

We have lots of those pesky places in our homes that don’t get addressed as often – kitchen drawers that open and close with less and less organization inside, back corners of refrigerator shelves, and the top shelves of cupboards where our best dishes grow a film of dust from their infrequent use.

But there are other pesky places we often miss that live inside of us as well. Many of these remain hidden and out of view of those around us and some we keep so well covered that we can ignore them for long periods as well. Those are those attitudes that don’t quite line up with our best selves, the nagging habits we accommodate because we like them despite knowing they are not good for us, and our selfish preferences that stand opposite our stated desire to put others first.

Perhaps these are like the little foxes that spoil the vines spoken of by King Solomon by the Old Testament book bearing his name.

These are those little things (sometimes pet sins too) that we accommodate without much thought since we have already labeled them “little” and see them as not so harmless without recognizing they erode and grow if left with that mindset. We forget when they snagged us up in times past because we didn’t pay attention; we were living too close to the enemy who seduces us into such thinking.

After all, we were busy. We had so many things to do, those meetings at school and church, coffee dates with friends, and a need to just kick back and relax and stop thinking about who we were to be and what we were to be about. We really weren’t being lazy. We just needed a break from all those things.

Sound familiar?

If we are honest, most of us have been there and might be there now as well. Maybe it’s that Newton law thing about a body a rest tending to stay at rest versus a body in motion tending to stay in motion. After all, who would be looking at those places in our home or in our hearts?

As I have been reading through the Old Testament book of Judges again, I see parallels to these ways of thinking and the significant impact on Israel after Joshua had died. The people who had followed those heroes of the faith like Moses, Caleb, and Joshua had let those evidences of what God did and what He required fall into the background and before long they were like pesky places left untouched and unaddressed.

Little pesky places and things became pet habits and God got shoved to the background as little things grew to little idols that soon meant the people were trusting themselves instead of God. Strongholds developed that could only be defeated by One outside of themselves.

By the end of the book of Judges we come to that haunting verse that reads, “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”

A note in my study Bible about all this reads as follows: “we abandon God when we do only what seems good to us: creating private religion, abandoning our personal calling, pursuing our individual desire, and choosing personal preservation over justice.”

Doing what is right in our own eyes sounds very much like today despite Judges being written about 550 BCE.

Many of us have been captivated by the images of the death of Queen Elizabeth II – the music, respect, reverence, and awe – and soon a new king will be crowned with more imagery as well. They remind me that Jesus whom we love and revere if we believe in Him is not only Savior, but King. His Kingdom extends far beyond any earthly realm of any period of history. And Scripture says He will return for this of his Kingdom when the world has gone mad, forgotten Him, and living as they please in an ever-darkened way.

Whenever He comes, He will not concern himself with the condition of my cupboards, but rather the condition of my heart. Perhaps it is what we see around us that should remind us that it’s time to take care of those pesky places in our hearts that we have ignored for some time and to prepare our hearts to hail Him when He comes.

I so often wish I could have God’s view.

He sees in the moment and He also sees the long game ahead.

But I am sure He knows that it is better I don’t see in that way because it’s in the not knowing that I learn to know Him better and trust Him more. And that’s what He desires for me…to know Him more deeply and intimately.

I was recently recounting a story about my dad to one of my grandsons who had never met nor known my dad because he died before this grandson was born.

My dad was a humble quiet man with a dry sense of humor and a lifelong love of learning. His family needed him to leave school before high school to run the farm with the help of his uncles. His father had died when he was only 5 and his older brother had fallen from the barn roof when my dad was 13. Those deaths left him as the only male with his mother and four older sisters.

My dad had loved learning and for the whole of his lifetime until he died at 84, he felt “less than” for not having a better formal education. It also made him determined that any child of his would have a college education.

As I was approaching the end of high school and college was just ahead, my dad looked at the dollars needed for that four-year education and could not sort out how to make his dream for me become a reality. He had only earned modest salaries despite working hard for the whole of his life. So he went to talk with a local banker he knew who had been an advisor and mentor of sorts for his thoughts about how he could possibly send me to college. He was sure the numbers didn’t add up.

The wise man at the bank listened to my dad’s words and also to his heart and said, “Roy, don’t look at the whole four years and what that total is. Just look at one quarter at a time and take that as it comes.” My dad took his counsel and each quarter the Lord provided the money to handle tuition, room and board, and books.

God saw the moment and the long game and grew my dad’s faith in the process.

Twelve years later when I was actually going to need the teaching certificates I earned in college I needed to take several additional courses to update those certificates. I was already married and we had two children. When my dad learned I would need to do extra coursework, he called and asked me the cost. Then he said he was going to pay for it because he had committed to pay for my education.

It can be so easy for any of us to want to walk by sight instead of by faith, but that is not the Lord’s design or plan for us as his children. He gives us what we need in the moment.

Yes, we are to be good stewards, but our times and seasons are in His hands. He knows what we will need when we need it whether that is money, courage, hope, healing, or something else.

I think it is why the story Corrie Ten Boom’s tells lingers in my memory. She told it to her sister Betsy when they were facing the horrors of Auschwitz after her family was discovered to be helping Jews escape the persecution of the Nazis.

Corrie reminded Betsy that God would give them what they needed. To illustrate that she reminded her sister about how they would ride the train with their father in Holland. She asked Betsy when their father would give them their tickets and Betsy said they didn’t get them until it was time to get on the train. He knew they might not hold onto them or forget them when they were needed if given in advance.

When Moses was leading his people out of Egypt to the Promised Land, they all feared starvation as they walked into the wilderness. They walked in that wilderness for 40 years and every day He provided manna until the day they entered the Promised Land. Oh, yes, there was grumbling about the manna, but He sustained them and their clothes did not wear out either.

“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”

Psalm 18:2 (ESV)

When He gives us what we need in the moment, it isn’t always what we may want but He sees the moment and the long game.

Pat Springle wrote a powerful book about trust some years ago entitled Trusting: The Issue At the Heart of Every Relationship. One of the things that echoes in my mind that he said early in the book was this:

“…only God remains 100 percent trustworthy, as well as totally outside of their (our) control.”

There are many things we purchase or use that carries a caution warning to “Handle with Care.”  The warning is a reminder that what we are going to use is meant for good, but if it is not handled properly it can also cause damage.  Those who created and designed these tools appear to know that ‘common sense’ is not really common!

There are so many other places where such a warning label could be helpful. Certainly a newborn infant should come with one even though most people know the caution, but I think children who go off to school should wear such labels as well. Those who teach or train our children should not sacrifice standards of excellence and moral codes of conduct, but the warning would be appropriate regarding the child’s heart, learning style, disabilities, values, and family life.

The label might be good to attach to a marriage license. The person we fell in love with and seek to marry isn’t perfect and as days and weeks go by there will be many opportunities to discover flaws or weaknesses not noticed previously. What a time to extend grace and remember, “handle with care.”

That label would serve well in friendships as well. Healthy friendships with clear boundaries can weather many things and a variety of moods and passions, but we should never forget to “handle with care” the heart, soul, and secrets of the person.

That label would be appropriate as well for members of our ministries or those in our churches, not because they are fragile but rather because if they serve under our leadership we have a duty to “handle with care” the essence of who they are.

You see we can so easily forget that each of us has some level of power that needs to be handled with care. You may not feel that way and you likely do not experience it in all situations or all people, but you have it.  Why?  Because when God created you, He gave you power.

“Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

Genesis 1:26 (NIV)

At the outset we were commanded to rule and subdue the earth and its creatures. Those words − rule and subdue − mean power. We were made in God’s image and He entrusted power over those things noted in the passage. We were and are to reflect Him.

The passage does not say we are to have power over each other, however. But when that terrible fall took place as a result of listening to a beautiful being who seduced us with God’s own words and perverted them, our image was marred and we took on the image of Satan instead of the image of God. After all, Satan was and is a power and glory grabber who seeks to have power over the One he cannot have power over, so he will settle for any one of us he can ensnare whether a Christian or not.

Sadly it is easy for us to love power. If we have it, it reduces our sense of vulnerability in one or more areas and vulnerability tends to make us feel small or frightened.

Power comes in many forms and sizes. Some power is physical. We see that in sports arenas all the time, but we also see it on playgrounds and in classrooms where the taller and bigger kids take charge over the smaller and weaker kids many times.

Other power comes in words and how we use them. Our words can speak life or death.

“The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”

Proverbs 18:21 (NIV)

Power can come from positions of authority. We see that as students from teachers, employees of employers, drivers from law enforcement and speed traps on the highway, members of organizations from leaders of those same organizations. Positions carry with them some power and that is not usually an issue except if it is abused and those under those positions are used rather than served and collaborated with. Such positions are evident in any rule-governed entities whether political or ecclesiastical.

Because of the marring of God’s image in us, we can misperceive power. We can believe that the one in power over us also has integrity and then grant them even more power. We can hope they have integrity, but it is not a guarantee.

When we fail to accurately discern good and evil in relationship to power, we open ourselves to abuse and more so when or if we remain silent in the midst of it.

It can be easy to look around us and point fingers at those we believe are misusing or abusing power, but that is the wrong place to start.  We must start with checking in the mirror to see if our own image reflects God first and if our character looks like his.

We need to start the with psalmist:

“May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.”

Psalm 19:14 (NIV)

We can also learn much from Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by pausing long at the one he lists in fifth place:

“Seek first to understand, then to be understood.”

Power is not so much good or bad, but how we steward whatever power we’ve been given is what is essential.

We also need to remember we will give account to the One who gave us power.

And He is all powerful.