Pam Newman has the wonderful qualities needed for writing a devotional guide: love for God, love for family, love for the church, creativity and wisdom. She has faced her share of trials and known the sufficiency of God s grace in the midst of them. Combining her study of the Word with her life experiences has provided Pam Newman a guide to not only help people who are in the AUTUMN years, but for those who are preparing for those years as well. REV. R. MARK SHAW Pastor for Preaching and Administration Calvary Baptist Church Greenville, MI In this devotional book, Pam Newman guides us through many timely issues as we live in the autumn of our lives. From having adult children to finding new ways to serve God and others, this book challenges us to think deeply and personally during a time of life when our options are many and our choices still significantly affect our walk with God. LOUIE KONOPKA Pastor Blythefield Hills Baptist Church Rockford, MI Pam Newman truly sheds new light on the reading and understanding of Genesis. As I progressed through the fifty chapters with her, I was surprised again and again to find God s message for me woman in my 60 s. PHYLLIS DOLISLAGER Author Lessons Learned on the Farm Pam Newman offers gentle honesty and wisdom offers readers an opportunity to reflect on their gifts, challenges, purpose, and opportunities to serve God in their Autumn years. MARCIA HOLLINGSWORTH, Ed.D. Licensed Psychologist
GENESIS THROUGH AUTUMN S EYES This Meditation/Journal is suitable for individual study, but is also useful in a Small Group setting. For Questions for Discussion in a Small Group Setting, or to purchase additional copies of this book, please visit our website. ByPamAndI.com
GENESIS THROUGH AUTUMN S EYES Glimpses of Truth for the Autumn Years Copyright 2010 by Pamela Lillie Newman All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. Manufactured in the United States of America ISBN: 978-0-578-07224-1 Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers. All rights reserved.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT I am indebted to many friends for their suggestions and their assistance in proofreading. I am grateful to Phyllis Porter Dolislager (byphyllis.com) for providing the invaluable editorial assistance to make these AUTUMN thoughts publishable. Pastors Mark Shaw and Louie Konopka deserve more than thanks for the years of good Bible teaching that prepared me for my AUTUMN years.
GENESIS THROUGH AUTUMN S EYES Glimpses of Truth for the Autumn Years Pamela Lillie Newman
GENESIS THROUGH AUTUMN S EYES Glimpses of Truth for the Autumn Years INTRODUCTION Ask anyone in Michigan, Vermont, Tennessee and many other states, What is your favorite thing about AUTUMN? The most common answer will be, The beautiful colors. Come AUTUMN, people who complain about their commute to work will drive hundreds of miles on color tours. Groups of senior citizens will charter buses to take them around the state to view the spectacle of trees changing from green to yellow, gold, orange, red, rust, purple or brown. The splendor and beauty takes our breath away. In the seasons-of-life, AUTUMN is just as spectacular. Our SPRING season-of-life is delightful. Youth is full of new discovery, surprise and decision. In our early spring years we are like a sapling whose little leaves are budding and just beginning to open. Life moves slowly as we progress from total dependency to mature responsibility. In the first 25 years of life, we grow our roots and set the bent of our sapling self. If it is not set straight and made stable, it will not grow straight and be stable. The SPRING years are important and formative. Our SUMMER season is busy! We are raising our children, trying to help them form their own solid root systems. We are building our careers. Ladder Climbing. Soccer Momming. Competing for promotions. Room Mothering. Baseball Coaching. Chauffeuring. Cooking. Growing. Producing. Reproducing. Hurrying. Our summer years are like a tree lush with dark green leaves. The leaves are full of chlorophyll, a substance that not only puts its green color into the leaves, but gives our tree the ability to 1
have photosynthesis, providing the energy to grow and reproduce. Our green years, from about age 25 to 50 or so, are productive years. Then comes our beautiful AUTUMN. The magnificent years when we no longer have need of all that chlorophyll. It drains out of our leaves, so that our individual true colors can at last be seen. In place of the busy, productive, high-energy green years, we give way to the colorful expressions of our true selves. We can be appreciated for who we are, not what we accomplish. Often we are surprised at what we find under all that green activity royal colors and jewel tones. In our SPRING and SUMMER we were so busy with life that we didn t really know who we were underneath it all. AUTUMN is a time to revel in being ourselves, as God made us. We know WINTER is coming with its time of rest and quiet, but now... it is glorious AUTUMN! As we glimpse the truths revealed in Genesis, we will be looking through AUTUMN s eyes. Read each chapter of Genesis and follow the narrative, as we center our focus on one of the verses. Yes, things do look a bit different through AUTUMN s eyes. 2
GENESIS CHAPTER 1 Verse 27 So God created man in his own image. In Genesis 1, we see the magnificence of God s creativity. He has made us in HIS image. We are not all alike... some of us have leaves of gold, some of red. Some of orange, some of purple. Some of brown and some remain green in AUTUMN. Some of us have personalities made for leadership. Some for melancholy and deep thinking, some for playfulness and bringing joy to others, some for persistence and hard work. Our creativity and our image bearing will take different forms. We need to be tolerant of our differences, but we also need to recognize our own special value and contribution. There is no need for the glowing golden leaf to wish it could be red. Together we reflect the glory of God Himself. Autumn is our time to take a deep look at our colors and to see how our particular image-bearing can be used in God s plan. Some can entertain. Others write. Still others make household repairs. Some can teach. Some can cook. You can often identify your colors by what brings you joy. What you enjoyed doing when you were a child, before the busyness of summer took over your life, can offer you a clue to your true colors. Where can you volunteer that would make use of your colors? If you need a second career, consider the colors of your personality and gifts when you make your choice. One more thought: If God were a tree, his leaves would be white, because white is the combination of all of 3
the colors of the spectrum. He s the only One who has it all put together! What did you love to do as a child? Does it give you an idea about what you would enjoy now? Journal your AUTUMN thoughts: 4
GENESIS CHAPTER 2 Verse 24... a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will be one flesh. It is difficult to let em go. After putting so much summerenergy into raising our sons and daughters, we want to continue to be central to their lives after they marry. Sometimes we AUTUMNs are invited to be an important part of the new family, but more often, we are held at arm s length. This is not necessarily a bad thing. We can t expect our kids to hang around home once they get married. It is time to let them have space to form and to raise their own families. We can hope that they will keep closely in touch with us, but we can t demand it. And shaming and making them feel guilty will not only drive a wedge between them and us, but it may also drive a wedge between them and their spouse. Not a good idea. Some people see in their grandkids a chance for a do-over. You know what I mean. Do it again, and do it right this time. But, it is my children s turn. I need to be careful about butting in and telling them how to do it. I need to be there to support them, to lend a listening ear, to spread love, to encourage, to brag on, but NOT to interfere, NOT to make demands, NOT to criticize, NOT to demean. My summer years are done. I want to enjoy AUTUMN. It s time to put my energy into finding MY true colors. It s time for me to get a life. How can you fill the empty-nest hours when your adult children are not available to spend time with you? 5
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GENESIS CHAPTER 3 Verse 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. Satan tempted Eve by calling God s character into question. He painted a picture of a god who exercised selfinterest, a god who is stingy with good things, a god who is harsh and abusive. When I question God s goodness, love and provision, I am walking on dangerous ground. When do I do this? How about when I say: Why does God let her linger on and on in pain? Why doesn t he just take her home? How cruel of God to take their only child away. Why do I have to suffer this frustrating illness when I have so much I want to do for God? By AUTUMN, I have seen enough of life to know that God makes some decisions that don t make sense to me. I need to remember that God s character is perfect. His ways are so far above my ways that I can t comprehend his goodness, love, mercy and wisdom. Who am I to doubt His providence? Peace comes when I attribute to God His rightful position. He is LOVE, ever-present, all-powerful, unchanging, faithful, just, all-knowing, holy LOVE. I need to trust Him... with my obedience, honor and submission... even when He does not choose to reveal the why. What have you seen in life that doesn t make sense? Can you trust it to God s wisdom? 7
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GENESIS CHAPTER 4 Verse 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; It desires to have you, but you must master it. Temptation does not leave me when I reach the AUTUMN of life. Showing my true colors does not mean I no longer have to deal with sin. I have to take an active part in mastering temptation. It may sound spiritual to say, I just trust in God and whatever happens, happens. But when it comes to fighting temptation, I have a command that urges me to exert self-control. It is true that self-control is part of the Fruit of the Spirit, and without the Spirit of God living within me I cannot expect to have self-control. But even with the Spirit dwelling in me, resisting temptation still takes effort on my part. God told Cain that sin was crouching at his door... but that he (Cain) must master it. By the time we have reached AUTUMN, we have sometimes allowed a favorite sin to form a stronghold that is not easily broken. We all know what our own personal weakness is that part of our life that we hide and never share with others. Let s shine the light on it, confess it to God, and let us do what we have to do to master that weakness now, before it rules and ruins our lives. Are you denying an addiction or sinful practice? Are you ready to change? 9
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