Dr. Jenner’s Experiment

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  “March 28th, 1797, I inoculated this girl and carefully rubbed the variolous matter into two slight incisions made upon the left arm. A little inflammation appeared in the usual manner around the parts where the matter was inserted, but so early as the fifth day it vanished entirely without producing any effect on the system.” —Edward Jenner (1749–1823). “The Three Original Publications on Vaccination Against Smallpox.” Portrait of Edward Jenner, painted by James Northcote in either 1803 or 1823

Finished Reading: Ecclesiastes

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 A group of artists were challenged to depict greatest personal fear on the canvases of their own faces. One made his face like that of a spider, another into a collage of monsters, another as a an old lady, depicting her fear of aging.


Why do you think people fear growing old? “In the way”; loss of resourcefulness or respect; letting go; the wish to live life over; guilt; becoming bitter, resentful over family matters; feeling unsupported, that life was a raw deal; self-pity; fear of finances, illness, loneliness, senility. 


How many of these fears might be similar to the vanities Solomon has written about? 


Is growing old without difficulty? 


Does this mean that we cannot with grace and without knowing our worth in God’s eyes? How might this change our lives in the coming years? 


I just finished reading Ecclesiastes. Chapter 12:1-8 presents a realistic picture of the aging process and couples it with some down-to-earth advice.




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