8 If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
With the rise of government intervention, nursing homes, hospitals and a mobile society, this concept, that families are responsible for the care of their elders, has faded into obscurity. “Isn’t that what Medicare and Medicaid is for? Isn’t that why I pay taxes?” I feel, and again this is my personal feeling, that the younger generations have been trained to view any inconvenience to their lifestyle as an unacceptable intrusion on their freedom. We push our elders to the side in our race to grasp all that life has to offer. If we cared about them, we might have to not indulge in that new car every two or three years. We might need to skip that yearly cruise or the bigger power toy. But I think this is tremendously shortsighted. Our elders and the relationships we form with them over time can enrich our life. They can add much more long term satisfaction and value to our lives than any new chrome-plated toy. For the Jesus-follower, caring for our families is very important. In the early church there was no Welfare system. Families had to reach out or widows would starve. This became especially important as new believers were rejected by their families because of their faith. To whom could they turn, if not to their new Family? The tendency in the first years of the Church was to be so ready for Jesus’ return that there was not thought for these types of practical matters. There was not need to think of longer term solutions if there was no long term. If Jesus was going to come back any day now, why do I need to think about the care of the widows next year? And today we just ship them off to a nursing home, or extended care facility, our lives too busy or too disconnected to get involved. There people of tremendous value sit and waste away, unable to pass on the love and care they have stored up, unable to resolve conflicts and ask for forgiveness. I hope that we can all examine how we are respecting our elders, especially those who are widows, alone in a world of pairs. Will you become a ‘someone’ to a forgotten widow in your family?
The Arnold Journey 