We recently moved my father into a memory care center because of Alzheimer’s disease. I found it difficult to watch him leave his home and his wife and move alone into the equivalent of a college dormitory—where he knows no one and, as independent as he is, will certainly be confused at first.
But God’s got this, right? God is still on His throne. And my dad remains one of the strongest men I ever met. He suffered through hepatitis alone in a 3rd-world country (6’4” and 120 pounds!). He can handle this. And he’s not “mine” to protect and care for, or my mom’s. He belongs to God, first, and God won’t give him too much. God knows how strong a man he is, and even with dementia, he will be okay.
That night, I opened my Bible and God brought scripture to my attention:
“Know that the Lord, He is God. It is HE who has made us and not we ourselves. We are HIS people and the sheep of HIS pasture.” Psalm 100:3-4.
My dad belongs to God, and walking with God can be a tough calling—because God calls us to be men of courage and faith, facing hard things with our eyes fixed on Jesus. And Daddy remains strong. After a lifetime with Jesus, his faith is so ingrained that even in dementia he won’t feel abandoned by God.
“Listen to Me … you who have been sustained from the womb, carried along since birth. I will be the same in your old age. I will bear you up when you turn gray. I have made you, and I will carry you; I will bear and save you.” Isaiah 46:3-4
God cares for us—and even uses us—as we age. He always has an encouraging word if you are reading His word every day. Grandpa read the Bible every day for at least 30 years. I know God is blessing him even now, using these last tough days like an athlete working the hardest at the end of the marathon. Great rewards are coming, and I know he’s earning more with each day. And God is with him every minute that we can’t be. Blessing him and using him. But how—how does God use a man in his condition? Is that even possible?
There is scripture that says God uses even the sick to remind the devil that only God has the power of life and death—so in dementia, an old, faithful saint may do his life’s greatest work as proof of God’s great sovereignty over life and death and all things.[1]
Imagine that: disease may leave a man blind and mute, but his every breath preaches a sermon to the spiritual forces all around us. Isn’t that amazing? Praise God.
[1] See the screen clip above from a Google Books search of Joni’s work, HEAVEN: YOUR REAL HOME.
Household Words: 