June 28, 2021 – Click here to listen
George Burns once said, You can’t help getting older, but you don’t have to get old. Some of us didn’t get that memo.
It seems like a paradox of enormous proportion. As a young man I was eaten alive by inner demons. As a result, I was melancholy 24/7. I didn’t have much to live for and I used to say I wouldn’t live to the age of 25 and that was just fine with me.
When I made it to 25, I discovered that 26 wasn’t so bad. Then I decided I didn’t want to get “old-old” and 40 sounded very old and 50, well, that seemed ancient. And then the next thing I knew I celebrated my 50th birthday. As before, I discovered that 51 was pretty good and my birthday was hardly noticeable. It seemed inconceivable that I might live to reach my 70’s or even 80’s. And now 24 years later, at 74, I consider life to be the best time of my life even with the many ailments of old age and my once vibrant young body becoming like an old arthritic half blind and deaf dog.
Hmmm . . . So what is the deeper philosophical meaning here? I’ve discovered that what I value the most in life is my relationship with God and serving Him. Second to that my family, friends, fishing, art, writing, and playing guitar are all fun and important.
When I was young and full of life, I could walk into most any establishment and the prettiest girls would turn to look at me and smile. Nowadays they hardly look up and if they do, they don’t even notice me. If my entire life had been built around those moments, I would have lived in daily ego crushing torment as my body developed wrinkles and my hair turned gray.
What would happen if the world’s greatest guitarist suddenly developed Parkinson’s and couldn’t play anymore? What happens when the superstar football player gets old and fades into obscurity? Or the rich and powerful CEO is forced to step down due to their age and relinquish everything they worked for all their life? Or the supermodel gets cellulite on her rump? Their entire lives are built around the one thing.
When I go fishing, I have a plan A, B, and C. If I cannot catch the species I targeted in plan A, I go to plan B and try another species. If that doesn’t work, well, there is always plan C. In life however, I have need of only one plan – Plan A. That my friends is God’s plan.
His plan is my plan. So, I reason that I lost the vibrancy of my youth but have gained wisdom. I’m talking about spiritual wisdom. The beginning of wisdom according to the Bible is to fear/respect God. That is plan A and it is all we need.
As time rolls down the track, we start out slowly like a freight train but then pick up speed. I knew God during my early years of being a new believer and a baby Christian but barely. The failures and triumphs of life have taught me how to really live. Nowadays I have a mature relationship with Him. And best of all I learn more from Him every day and it is wonderful to tap into His deep love through His word the Holy Bible.
I have a sign on my desk that says, Don’t follow the world – Follow Jesus Christ. Folks I didn’t die young, and I don’t dread getting old. Each breath I take is one breath closer to finally meeting Jesus Christ face to face. I cannot imagine anything on this earth more rewarding than that. But as the Apostle Paul stated there is work to be done. Time is irrelevant to God He is immortal and so are we. We need to look beyond the mortal into eternity and follow God’s plan with whatever time remains.
Aging is a beautiful gift from God. For those already in their Golden years, God has given you an opportunity to share what you have learned from your many days on this earth, to help others still growing and learning the ways of this world. The knowledge and wisdom you have gained over the years is like a secret treasure to those needing a little sage advice. You have been allowed to share your experiences as teachable moments for the generations to come. Each of these privileges are a blessing in and of itself! Don’t hate the blessing God is giving you.
Psalm 92:14
“Even in old age they will still produce fruit; they will remain vital and green.”