For many years, whenever we took a trip, I took my little toolbox. Something might go wrong with the car, or, more likely, someone else needs something fixed. My vocational background was aircraft tooling, appliance repair, electrical repair and electro-mechanical assembly and repair, so I had an assortment of tools in the small box that would help in many situations. On several occasions people I met in an RV park or motel had a car problem. I wasn't an auto mechanic, but using my tools, the owners fixed their vehicles.
When Dad found out what I could do, he normally had a repair job waiting for me when we visited him and Mom in California. It was a great bartering situation because I repaired, and he bought our family dinner. I figured I came out ahead because usually the problem was his television that needed the tuner cleaned or the picture adjusted, and it was easy for me to do back then. Dad's comment would often be something like, "These new-fangled things are beyond me. I'm glad you can handle them."
Televisions are a different animal now. In fact, appliances are different, also, therefore, some of my skills are now obsolete. Therefore, it is I who need the help quite often.
I call Darlene related to physical and chemical issues. I call Ron related to electronic or electrical matters. I call Jeremy related to construction or home repair problems. I call Rebecca related to cell phone and Verizon issues.
What's even funnier, our grandkids can often help me with these matters, too. They seem to be born with information about these new electronic things.
I remember the days when our kids and grandkids came to me with questions that they thought had no answers, but I always came up with the information. They admired me because it seemed that I knew everything. Now I'm not sure what the grandkids are thinking when they help me with an issue, but the look on their faces seem to convey, Wow. I know something grandpa doesn't know. And, indeed, they do.
Where I was formerly self-sufficient, I find myself in need of other's assistance, and that's sometimes an uncomfortable feeling. But that's part of our life-cycle.
As we get older, we need to accept the fact that life changes. Where we were once productive and the drivers in society, we may have been replaced by younger people with greater physical strength, who can think and process more quickly, and who can respond to emergencies more appropriately. And, as mentioned, who seem to instinctively know about new technology.
But we are not washed up. We, personally, are not obsolete. We need to understand our current inadequacies, our weaknesses, our slower responses, and at the same time, wake up to new opportunities. Where some doors close, God may open up new vistas, awaken us to skills that have been dormant within us, or even grant us brand new abilities. God can do that, you know.
With that in mind, as we get older, we don't need to shrivel up or close up our mental shop. Find the open door and ask the Lord to help us become aware of what He wants us to do. Then do it. As we cooperate with Him, He also grants wisdom to accomplish His desires.
Let's not allow closed doors to block our vision. Let's not allow the newfangled things to cloud our vision. But let's clearly look through the open doors, and using the wisdom the Lord has given us, boldly go where we have not gone before.
Having said that, I need to call Rebecca about the new program that Verizon installed on my cell phone. These new-fangled things are beyond me.
-- S. Eugene Linzey is an author, mentor, and speaker. Send comments and questions to [email protected]. Visit his web site at www.genelinzey.com. The opinions expressed are those of the author.