Astroid Strikes; Communion; Grace; and Aging

“When an asteroid exploded over the Russian city of Chelyabinsk in February, shattering windows for miles and injuring well over 1,000 people, experts said it was a rare event — of a magnitude that might occur only once every 100 to 200 years, on average.  But now a team of scientists is suggesting that the Earth is vulnerable to many more Chelyabinsk-size space rocks than was previously thought. In research being published Wednesday by the journal Nature, they estimate that such strikes could occur as often as every decade or two.”  (from the New York Times, November 7, 2013)

Ah, now I understand.  Aging is like that.  

If I substituted the word “difficulty” for “asteroid”, the words “my life” for “the Russian city of Chelyabinsk”, and the words, “my experience” for “a team of scientists”, etc., suddenly I realize I see my older adult life as one in which there are potential asteroid strikes (life difficulties) occurring with increasing frequency.   Smaller “strikes” have already hit me and my loved ones;  now the big ones seem ever closer.   

The New York Times article continues, “…astronomers are setting up telescopes to scan the sky for quick-moving spots of light that could be oncoming asteroids. There would be no opportunity to deflect the asteroid that would hit in days or weeks, but it would give time to warn…” 

So, this story from the New York Times of a changed understanding about the reality of asteroid strikes not only parallels my own story as I age, but it parallels stories from the Bible that identify the importance of communion together as we use our telescopes, our faith, to scan our futures for the light that gives us “warnings” about the importance of noticing our God-given grace – giving us a peace that passes all understanding.

Bruce