decrepit

As I am sometimes inclined to do, (though in this case I'm seated) I looked up a word in Webster's to get the full weight of the meaning - to make sure I don't take it too lightly. The word in this instance was decrepit - I found the following: wasted and weakened as a result of old age - also - impaired by use or wear - or - worn out. From deductive reasoning I concluded that the decrepit one could no longer do what they once could.

To see what these lost abilities were I naturally looked up the root word crepit and found no listing. What I farther concluded from this was that a decrepit person can no longer do what they never could do to start with, or at least they couldn't define it.

A word that nearly caught the meaning of crepit was crepitate - that meant to crackle. One could construe this to mean the verve or electricity of life - kind of like Rice Krispies when you pour on the milk. But that was confusing because that's the same sounds my back and knees make then I bend over to pick up something. Take it from me, being decrepit is not all it's cracked up to be.

Decrepitude covers more than just the physical, there's also the mental, emotional as well as the spiritual. One can maintain crepitation through exercise and nutrition up to certain limits in the areas of these first three, but the spiritual is another thing altogether.

The only limitation I find on our spiritual strength and vivacity is whether or not we are willing to draw close to our Heavenly Father with our whole heart. I've known very old Christians, barely able to stand, that were mighty prayer warriors for God. I challenge you - and myself - no matter what our age, to be the same. ec