It’s a sad and sorry fact. Yet, the fact remains. In one way or another, bodies age out. Whether Generation X or Z or Millennial–regardless of your labeled generation, the inevitable will happen to you either directly or indirectly.

I’m not merely referring to the infirm and disabled. I’m addressing a multitude of caregivers. Those compassionate people who wipe bottoms and change bedpans, who must keep up with a mind that changes and forgets, who must graciously tolerate self-centeredness, whining, and interruptions.

Using an overused cliché, I’ve been there and done that. So, once again, I was surprised (that I was surprised) by God’s working. He promised …before they call, I will answer. (Isaiah 65:24)

I remembered these words when Kat and I returned home after five hours in a lovely home enjoying an afternoon of tea and cakes while watching the championship tennis game of the Wimbledon ladies’ singles.

However, the man at home could not join us for this pleasant afternoon. A stroke, suffered six years earlier, had left him weak and unsteady on his feet.

While we were out, he lived a day like every day: spent in the same chair in the confines of the same four beige walls with no nearby window, opening to the sky and its inhabitants that he loves to watch. His constant company a computer full of downloads, photo albums, and videos.

This existence no way matches his former years of discovering, driving, flying as a pilot, painting, promoting, and selling.

So, it would be understandable if he had been sullen and resentful upon our return, prompting Kat’s impatience to rise in equal measure.

But no. Kat was gentle and quiet as she greeted him and asked what she could do for him. Whether intentional or not, her actions demonstrated the truth of Proverbs 15:1: A soft answer turns away wrath. And his replies matched her kindness.

The evening continued in this tender manner because Love was in our midst.

The words of Colossians 3:12 are true and specifically appropriate for caregivers, here rendered from the Passion Translation:

You are always and dearly loved by God!…Be merciful as you endeavor to understand others, and be compassionate, showing kindness toward all. Be gentle and humble, unoffendable in your patience with others.”