AGING GRACEFULLY

2019 has been an interesting year so far for me.  This will be the year I turn 50 years old.  I have not been overwhelmed by that idea or even dwelling on what is inevitable.  However, there have been more than a few days where the idea has occupied some of the limited real estate of my mind.  

And, thanks to an app on my phone, I know that it will happen in roughly 41 days, 13 hours, and 5 minutes...as of the moment I write this post.

It seems, as though April 24 looms closer and closer AND there are reminders of my age on a more frequent basis.  For example, I was recently diagnosed with tinnitus caused by mild to moderate hearing loss and was prescribed to wear hearing aids.  Of course, this is not the end of the world.  However, it is a reminder nonetheless that I am not as young as I used to be.  I do have 4 grandchildren which are absolutely the delight of my life.  I went with "Papa" instead of "Grandpa".  In my mind, Grandpa's are old.  Papa's are a younger junior Grandpa. 

Last week, upon leaving our local Sam's Club - where, by the way, I was purchasing new batteries for my new hearing aids - I lost my car in the parking lot!  Not only did I lose my car, I attempted to get into someone else's car instead!  To my utter delight (sarcasm font needed), not only was someone in said car, I happen to know the people in the car.  No keeping it a secret now!  So much for aging gracefully.  If anybody needs a grandpa, I'll just be over here driving too slow in the passing lane with my blinker on.  When I get home, I guess I'll just sit on porch in my rocking chair and yell at the neighbor kids to "Get off my lawn!"

Now, of course, I am just having some fun at my own expense.  Can you remember what it was like to celebrate a birthday when you 10 or 11 years old?  

Do you remember celebrating, full of joy, excited for the year ahead, and doing something you love with the ones who make you smile?  

What would it look like if some of us who are heading through our 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond were to really celebrate our years again?  What if we began to shift our perspective from a focus on the fear of aging to a focus on the the rich, full lives God is calling us into as the years pass?

Can I just tell ya something?  If we look to God's Word regarding aging, we are reminded about grace and goodness; not fear and resistance.  God tells us more than once that growing older is an honor.  The longer we live, the more experiences we are given to learn from, and the more wisdom and perspective we gain to see life in new and beautiful ways. When we see someone in their later years (or when we look in the mirror and it’s us!) we might be reminded of what a gift and opportunity that is.  It is a gift which not ever receives.

Whether you’re celebrating your own birthday or that of someone special, remember that every single day in every single life matters. Don’t wait for a milestone in your life to make it special. Look in the mirror and cherish those gray hairs and wrinkles.  Remember how they are created.

Prayer -
Lord, forgive me for allowing my age and the physical condition of my aging body to distract me from the reality of my hope in Jesus.  I know that You are with me and that this place is only temporary.  Amen.

I will be the same until your old age, and I will bear you up when you turn gray. I have made you, and I will carry you; I will bear and rescue you. -- Isaiah 46:4 (CSB)

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