by Rev. George

Created on: August 02, 2009   Last Updated: August 03, 2009

Once an Adult Twice a Child

Introduction:

We are at this time going to examine the cycle of life and how it affects all human beings.

Once a man, twice a child, is a proverb. It's not a Biblical one but a good one. Proverbs are brief sayings that distill wisdom into memorable words. We value proverbs because they illuminate the human experience. This proverb points out what we frequently see.

A child is born and is dependent upon someone else for everything necessary to sustain life. As the child grows and matures he or she is able to care for themselves and becomes fully functional as they progress and grow into adult hood, but all too often the adult reverts to childlike attitudes, actions and ability to function independently. This is caused by natural aging, an ill health condition such as a stroke, heart attack, Parkinsons and Alzheimer's disease.

Many times it is a combination of ill health and natural ageing which compounds the effects. It is common to hear it said that someone is in their second childhood because of the way they act; having to be told when, where and how to go, when and what to wear and eat, when to take medications, when to go to bed and when to get out of bed, many times having to wait for assistance with those activities and others such as; eating, grooming, bathing, toileting, getting up and down. After a child matures and starts to function as a young adult and enjoy life the thought never enters their mind that one day they will be dependent on others to help them with everything again. The only way to bypass this phase of life is that you die young.

Jesus referred to the cycle of life when He made His prediction of Peter's death that would Glorify Him It is stated in (St. John21 :18) and it says: "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not." When Peter was young he could have avoided this but in his old age he had no choice but to yield. That is true of all living human beings.

If you have a relative or friend that is going through their second childhood you must first learn to be patient with them because they are not as quick moving as they once were and you will need to move slowly with them. They will not remember things you tell them or explain to them and many times will again request the same info

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