Of bodies and cars

There are cars that are designed to be driven personally because the driving and the handling of the car is in itself a great experience. And then there are cars that are best experienced sitting on the back seat rather than driving it. Cars are very expensive. The better the quality and the more prestigious they are the stiffer is their sticker price.

I remember my friend motivational speaker Denis Waitley once talking about comparing his physical body to a car. Waitley says his body is a Ferrari, an expensive driving machine. And because it is powerful and expensive he will never put junk into it. He takes good care of it. And proof is that even at his ripe old age now he is still traveling the world and giving talks passionately and energetically.

I never forget what Denis said and this is why I exercise and I make sure I eat the  right food. Not only because I view my body as an expensive car but because I know that this is the only body God has given me and it doesn’t come with spare parts and so I will use it to the max for His purposes.

Some cars get outmoded and they don’t last long. Others turn into classics even though they are old.

One wise guy looks at himself and at cars this way. He says:

Zeroth. If my body were a car, this is the time I would be thinking about trading it in for a newer model. I’ve got bumps and dents and scratches in my finish and my paint job is getting a little dull ... but that’s not the worst of it.

• My headlights are out of focus and it’s especially hard to see things up close.

• My traction is not as graceful as it once was. I slip and slide and skid and bump into things even in the best of weather.

• It takes me hours to reach my maximum speed. My fuel rate burns inefficiently.

• But here’s the worst of it —Almost everytime I sneeze, cough or sputter..... either my radiator leaks or my exhaust backfires!

Whether your body is a Ferrari or not, you will grow old and you will wear out.

While I try to be as positive as possible, I am also a realist.

I realize that there are two things in life we cannot deny or fight against:

• Time – Everyone grows old.

• Gravity – Everything sags.

But then there is the other side to getting old and aging.

Shel Silverstein, wrote the following profound words:

Said the little boy, “Sometimes I drop my spoon.”

Said the little old man, “I do that too.”

The little boy whispered, “I wet my pants.”

“I do that too,” laughed the old man.

Said the little boy, “I often cry.”

The old man nodded. “So do I.”

“But worst of all,” said the boy, “it seems grown-ups don’t pay attention to me.” And he felt the warmth of a wrinkled old hand.

“I know what you mean,” said the little old man.  

It’s not easy to grow old.

Their minds may still be sharp but their bodies are not.

But that does not mean that age has made an old man or woman less of a person.

As I write this I am reminded of my folks too.

I am so busy doing my business some times I forget that my parents are old and I just have to find make to be with them.

Old people may be lonely people and loneliness to the aging is not a good thing.

It’s Sunday today. Visit your folks.

And if there have been conflicts in the past ask God for healing and learn the power of forgiveness. For after all, The Bible says we are to honor our parents not only because it is the right thing to do but also because it comes with a promised bonus…it is the first commandment with a promise — ”that it may go well with us and that we may enjoy long life on the earth.”

Not bad at all.

(You can listen to Francis Kong through his radio program “Business Matters” aired 8:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. daily over 98.7 dzFE-FM ‘The Master’s Touch’, the classical music station.)