Getting On Up There

“I have been young, and now I am old.” Psalm 37:25a

I’ve always liked the 37^th Psalm, but reading it today the partial verse above caught my eye. I suppose it did because I’ve noticed lately that I am definitely aging. My new room here at Seed Ministry has no mirror so I have had to resort to using the tiny 4x4 inch mirror in my toiletry kit to put in my contacts, comb my hair, etc… When I look in that mirror especially, I’ve noticed more lines, wrinkles, jowls and liver spots than I realized I had. Those aren’t my only signs of aging either. I find my energy levels are lower and I’ve begun to discover aches and pains in places where I’ve never had them before. Some of them in places I didn’t even know I had!

The interesting thing is I don’t mind it; in fact, I am enjoying getting older. I realize American culture is obsessed with youthfulness and we are expected to practice denial when it comes to aging, but honestly I welcome the autumn of my life. There is a certain peace and satisfaction that comes with aging. We are able to let go of some of the impatient grasping and constant striving toward goals we once had. Our vision clears and we are able to see God’s hand at work in places we never thought He was active. And as the fog of living clears as we age, we find God’s plans begin to flourish and our relationship with him and with a few others assumes a sweet intensity we could have never known as “young bucks,” eager to make our mark in the world.

I realize I sound like a broken record over here but God is teaching me that we each have a role to play in his plan; it may be a small role, or it may be a large one – but there are no unimportant roles. The object is to do your part, and to do it well in God’s strength and in God’s way.

Speaking of aging, one of my mentors from afar, Henri Nouwen put it this way, “When everything is put in its proper place, there is time to greet the true reasons for living.” Welcome to the “right now,” I pray your fog is lifting too and that God is revealing your “true reasons for living” like He is mine.