We're Old Guys

All of the men sitting around me chuckled, as they saw clearly that it illustrated the relativity of age.

"All of the freshmen in college who I worked with this year," I told them as we were doing our Bible study on 2 Corinthians 3, "they had a nickname for me: I was called the 'old guy'."

You have to understand the positions in life of the four men sitting around me to truly see their perspectives:

* To my right was Dave, whose daughter just graduated last week from high school. He works a full-time job at an engineering firm to support his family.

* Across from me was Rob, a doctorate graduate student in wood sciences at Virginia Tech, who, at age 52, has his hands full with his son, age 7, and wife.

* On Rob's left was Pat, who recently took off time from his engineering professorship at Virginia Tech to see the birth of his newest grand-daughter.

*On my direct left was the most amused of them all. David said in response, "I've just come to appreciate that, wherever I go, people are going to talk about things being multi-generational!" which he cawed out from behind his toothy grin. His estimation for the months ahead were to publish a second edition of his book and continue enjoying the time he has with his grand-daughter, age 20. At 82 years-old, he is more sharp than any of the rest of us sitting around the table.

It really struck me sitting there that I was surrounded by sharp, keen-minded, earnest seekers of God's heart as we studied about being bold in Christ:

"Since we have such hope, we are very bold, not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze upon the outcome of what was being brought to an end. But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit."

(2 Corinthians 3: 12-18)

To behold the glory of the Lord is a great burden to bear, one that leads to shear transformation. In their eyes that had beheld, in turn, one version of glory or another, and that many times over in turn, I could clearly see that I am made to relish the glory of God and persevere in my faith in Christ.