nothing but the word of our God lasts

A voice said, “Shout!”
      I asked, “What should I shout?”
“Shout that people are like the grass.
      Their beauty fades as quickly
           as the flowers in a field.
      The grass withers and the flowers fade
          beneath the breath of the Lord.
      And so it is with people.
 The grass withers and the flowers fade,
         but the word of our God stands forever.” (Isaiah 40:6-8)

Forty years ago, I had been out of the army for about a month. Civilian life was still new and exciting to me.

Since I was a draftee, I still had a couple of years of reserve left. I didn’t want to do it, but then again, there was nothing I could do about it.

I showed up for reserve the first month with my new muttonchop sideburns. No one cared that I was there, no one noticed me. I left and went home and never went again.

And I grew my sideburns and mustache long along with my hair.

Forty years ago. That is four decades. And in many ways it seems like yesterday.

We lived in an apartment on Lawndale St in Houston, TX. I worked for Bell Telephone and Ella had a job with Transcontinental Gas Pipeline Corp. We were having a good time.

The old song says, “Those were the days, my friend, we thought they’d never end, we’d sing and dance forever and a day.” It seemed like it would go on forever.

Still newly married (January of that year), still reveling in the new familiarity that was the United States after a year and a half in Germany for me, six months for Ella. Stores were open late (they closed at five in Germany), hamburgers were huge, all the stuff. It was just plain fun.

Forty years ago.

So what do I tell my kids? What do I tell kids in general?

I tell them people are like grass. I tell them the grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever. That’s what I tell them. Things that seemed so permanent are gone. And America has changed so massively, and not for the better.

Nothing but the word of our God lasts. Nothing but his love and grace are eternal.

Of course, when you are young, and the blood runs hot in your veins, you don’t think of the temporality of life. You are invulnerable. You cannot die. You are strong and healthy and full of life.

September of 1971. My hair was getting longer, I had traded fatigues for bellbottoms, I was making friends and driving fast and just in general having a good time. “In the Year 2525” and “Admiral Halsey” were on the radio, Nixon was president, gas in Houston was less than twenty cents a gallon and we were feeling fine.

But – beauty fades as quickly as the flowers in a field. The grass withers and the flowers fade beneath the breath of the Lord.

Stuff stops being so easy and you get older. You get tired, arthritis replaces good muscles, you get cataracts, yada yada.

Unfortunately, like it was with Isaiah, people do not want to hear that things will change. And sometimes I cannot tell them.

But it surely is true.