Searching for the Secret to a Long Life

Remember the story of Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon searching for the legendary “Fountain of Youth” in the 1500’s? I heard there’s a rumor going around that he currently resides in St. Augustine, Florida and spends his days watching reruns of “Dora the Explorer.”

Going through my email recently a headline caught my eye. It read, “Harvard Study Shows Unexpected Key to Long Life.” I didn’t take the time to read the article, but I thought everybody knew the secret to a long life: Just avoid dying. (Good luck with that.)

 

I’ve read a few novels and seen science-fiction films and TV shows about people who somehow achieved immortality. There’s an episode of the old “Twilight Zone” dealing with that theme that I especially enjoyed. What would you do – how would you react – if somehow you stumbled across a Fountain of Youth or ingested some kind of elixir that enabled you to live forever?

 

I’ve pondered this on occasion. My conclusion is it wouldn’t be all that great a deal. Think about it: All of your family members and friends eventually would pass away, but you’d keep hanging on. In a film I viewed recently, the indestructible lady had to keep inventing new identities to avoid raising suspicions about why she never aged or became ill. Hers had become a lonely existence; after a century or so she became tired of it. She was actually relieved when she became mortal again.

 

Then again, the Bible clearly and unwaveringly addresses the prospect of not a long life, but a forever life. The best-known verse of all declares, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). 

 

When Jesus Christ said this, He clearly wasn’t offering an assurance of not experiencing physical death. Rather, it was His promise that for those who trust in Him, death is merely a step into what we might term, “the other side of eternity.”

 

Sometime later, in comforting Martha, whose brother Lazarus had just died, Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies. And everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26). Then, as if to demonstrate His power over life and death, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead – a foreshadowing of His own resurrection after His crucifixion.

 

We could cite numerous other passages that offer the same assurance, but here are just two more to consider: In Titus 1:2 the apostle Paul writes about, “a faith and knowledge resting in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time.” This, Paul made clear, was not a “hope-so” faith, but a confident assurance, an earnest expectation for all who follow Christ.

 

And another apostle, John, asserts, “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God has not life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:11-13).

 

No doubt, scientists and physicians will continue their search for the keys or secrets to longer life. And that’s not a bad thing. But death for us all is inevitable, even more than taxes. It’s just a matter of when. To date, the mortality rate for humankind – and all living things – has been 100 percent. But by faith in Jesus Christ and His transforming power, we need not dread death. We’re assured that when our days on this earth come to an end, there’s a far more glorious life to come, beyond anything our finite minds can comprehend.

 

As the two most pivotal days on the Christian calendar approach, Good Friday and Easter, we can rejoice in the promise Jesus gave to His followers: “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of My Father’s hand” (John 10:28-29).

 

For now, we can do as King Solomon admonished in Ecclesiastes 5:18, “I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him – for this is his lot.” And then, for everyone who knows and follows Jesus Christ, real life will begin.

Fascination With Youth

Have you ever found interesting things while looking for something else? You’re digging through a drawer, searching for a receipt, screwdriver, or spool of thread, and find a totally different item you misplaced long ago. Maybe you forgot about it – until you found it.

Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon did something like that in the early 1500’s. It’s said he was searching for the “Fountain of Youth,” hoping to cure his aging. He’d heard stories of vitality-restoring waters, so he went looking for the rumored reservoir. Instead, de Leon discovered what’s now known as Florida.

The Fountain of Youth remains the stuff of folklore, but thanks in part to the adventurous explorer, millions of older people have found in Florida a place to go after their cherished youth has faded. Kind of a newer wrinkle on the old quest.

Ponce de Leon died nearly 600 years ago, but our fascination with youth lives on. The entertainment world exalts youth, trotting out new, fresh-cheeked stars and starlets every year. Actress Jennifer Lawrence, just 23, currently stands tall among celebrated young thespians. This is her day in the sun. Tomorrow, who knows?

My grandfather, Samuel Tamasy, passed
away when I was a boy. I still wish I
could learn from his insights about life.

In the sports world, champion gymnasts rarely compete past their teenage years; swimmers typically hang up their Speedos in their 20’s; football and basketball stars risk being perceived as relics upon entering their 30’s.

Even in the news media, with the onset of gray hair and age lines, veteran broadcasters and commentators find themselves deferring to younger replacements. Youth must be served!

It seems the modern Church isn’t immune either. Recently I read about an unemployed worship leader who was passed over, apparently because a congregation wanted a younger face leading music and directing the choir – someone more appealing for attendees in their teens through early 30’s. In a separate account, older church musicians were displaced by younger performers better able to connect to the teen and 20-something “market” their congregations were targeting.

As an early enlistee of the so-called Baby Boomer generation, I understand drawbacks of aging. Aches and pains don’t go away as quickly. And you discover aches and pains in places you didn’t even know you had! But I think youth is considerably overrated, sadly wasted on the young.

Recently I found encouragement in author Brennan Manning’s view:

“Youth is not a period of time. It is a state of mind, a result of the will, a quality of the imagination, a victory of courage over timidity, of the taste for adventure over the love of comfort…. A man grows old when he deserts his ideal. The years may wrinkle the skin, but deserting his ideal wrinkles his soul…. You will remain young as long as you are open to what is beautiful, good and great; receptive to the messages of other men and women, of nature and of God….”

I like Manning’s observation that not only is youth a state of mind, but also a product of the will and imagination, courage winning over timidity. Energy may ebb, but zeal for those things that fire our passions can be as strong. We might not be as physically resilient, but can strive to remain mentally agile. Ideals can stimulate and motivate.

As Proverbs 20:29 says, ”The glory of young men is their strength; gray hair the splendor of the old.” We’ve lived hard, worked hard, played hard. We’ve survived adversity in its various forms. Gray hair is like a crown, a badge of honor. We’ve earned it.

One of the drawbacks of youth is you can’t teach experience. We older folks have experience galore – perfect for sharing with those who lack it. And one of the best things we can share is what it means to walk consistently with God. Psalm 71:18 states it this way: “Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come.” The wisdom and insights we’ve gained through the years aren’t to be hoarded – pass them along and let others benefit as well.

We’re all going to get old if we live long enough. The alternative is to do what Marilyn Monroe, Elvis and JFK did, die relatively early. They found a “fountain of youth” of sorts – they’re perpetually young in historic photos and videos, and in our memories. But none of us would favor that approach for retaining our youth.

How about this idea: Rather than the elders staring at the young with envy, and the young viewing those older with disdain, why not strive to learn from one another? We all have much to offer each other. And when the young become old, they’ll also have something to offer the next generation.