Aging

You’re on a road that you’ve never traveled before.  The twists and turns are unexpected.  Rocks appear in front of your toes and you stumble, not always falling, but uncomfortably off balance.

Our younger years were a little more predictable with changes that everyone talked about.  We all seemed to be weathering those changes fairly smoothly, but old age is something that isn’t generally discussed seriously.  Jokes are made, hints are given, and we prefer to ignore the road we’re on. 

The teen years seem to have the most in common with our present situation – bodies changing, emotions a little on edge, new responsibilities that we’re not sure we can handle, and the feeling that people don’t realize you have the ability to run your own life.  Of course when you are a teenager, you don’t have the wisdom of age, but your feelings of being put down and dismissed are the same.

There is one other difference that seems to be prevalent.  Teens do band together and talk about their problems; it seems that we “oldies” don’t.

Our reasons make a lot of sense because we’ve heard the following comments from our peers.

“It wouldn’t be wise to talk about our limitations because the kids will try to take away our freedom to live our own lives if they know that things are getting a little harder for us to cope with.” 

“Because we’re having a little physical trouble, they tend to think that it extends to our brains.”

“If I mention my aches or pains, I’m referred to as a bit crotchety.”

“When we talk about forgetting something, the immediate response is, ‘Oh it must be the beginning of Alzheimer’s.’”  Of course it is okay for a young mother to forget her keys! 

There is, of course, the pride issue.  We just don’t want to appear old, even when we look in the mirror in the morning.  It’s hard to admit that our bodies are deteriorating at a quickened pace and that we don’t have the strength or balance we used to have. 

Like the teenagers, we may also feel insecure sometimes, wondering about the future and our ability to handle what tomorrow will throw at us. 

But along that road - the road we haven’t traveled before - is beauty.  There are so many spectacular vistas unseen on previous roads.  It may be that we have more time to notice – more daily time, not necessarily days or years.  Or it may be that, over the years we have learned appreciation.

Many of the places and events we see shine with the goodness of strangers met along the way.  They sparkle with the early dawn, since sleep doesn’t always last until morning.  They glow with the warmth that memories bring – memories of friendships long ago, of family gatherings past, and of our children and grandchildren’s funny antics.   Most of all the vistas shine with the closeness of God in our lives, in our minds and our hearts.

There is also the picture of creativity that shows we never get too old to appreciate and make beauty, whether it is a painting, a poem, a dream, or a 3 layer chocolate cake.  This applies to anything a person can create, for instance, a garden, a straight row of split logs or a warm and welcoming home.  Creativity is a vista seen along our new road.

In some of our hearts the desire to learn becomes brighter.  We want to read good books, sharpen our skills or learn a new skill.  Those things smooth the roughness on the road we travel and keep us mentally alert.

As we age there seems to be an urge to help others.  Maybe it’s because we aren’t needed as much in our children’s lives, or maybe it’s because we take the time to see other's needs.  

We find that, although we don’t always have people dependent on us, we come to deeply understand our own dependence on God.

Talking to Him has become a way of life.  Every time we turn around we’re praying about something, and seeing God answer that prayer. There are so many times that we’ve prayed and God has answered, particularly on this road.  Is it because of the turmoil in our world today there are more problems to pray about?  Do we spend more time in prayer because we’ve learned that God really does listen and answer?  Is it because we’ve found that we are not in control and He is?  Or is it because we know Him better than we used to?

So the road is untried.  We’re walking that road, sometimes in loneliness, of our own making, or possibly because we’re forced to.  But there is really no need to walk this road alone.  God has said “I will be with you.”  And He will.

God says that if we follow Him, He will also light the path on this road we’re traveling. 

John 8:12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” 

God doesn’t look at age – He’s ageless.

God doesn’t see you as slow – time doesn’t matter to Him.

God doesn’t worry about tomorrow – He holds it in His hand.

God is always there – So it doesn’t matter where we are.

I thank Him for a long life – long enough to grow old and to keep learning to trust Him.