Life goes by so quickly. Where do the years go? How can my children be that old already? Well, here I am, a woman who has finally accepted the aging process and feels peaceful growing older with God’s grace.
I like to say that, as a rule, everyone has a turn to be young, then middle-aged, and then old, older, oldest. My mother is pushing 100 years old, so she definitely falls in the “oldest” category. I guess it’s my turn to be in a category somewhere close behind her.
In the movie “Fried Green Tomatoes,” a woman laments about her place in the aging process, wondering where she belongs. She cried, “I’m too old to be young and too young to be old.” That sentiment seems to capture how many of us feel at one time or another.
There are lots of jokes and sayings about getting older. One of my favorite lines is, “Old age is always about 15 years older than you are.” (That one will work for only just so long.) I came across a headline recently online that screamed, “25 Ways to Grow Old Gracefully,” so I checked it out in case I was missing something important. Some of these tips were: “Have Fun.” (I can do that.) Next, “Wear Sunscreen”. (Who knew?) Another was “Never Stop Learning.” (Yep, that’s me.) Finally, “Make Sleep a Priority.” (Oh, goody. I love to sleep!)
All of the above are good tips, but growing old gracefully means a lot more to me. Once I accepted the fact that this beautiful earth is not my final home, I turned to the Scriptures and found such comfort, peace and hope in God’s uplifting and encouraging words to me.
When I’m feeling weak or tired, and I have no stamina, vim or vigor, I turn to Psalm 92:11: “To me you give the wild-ox’s strength; you anoint me with the purest oil.” And in verses 14 and 15 I pray to be among those who are “planted in the house of the Lord,” who “will flourish in the courts of our God, still bearing fruit when they are old, still full of sap, still green...”
Also, Habakkuk 3:19 is a very invigorating prayer when I’m just not feeling the “wild-ox’s strength.” It says: “God, my Lord, is my strength; He makes my feet swift as those of deer and enables me to go upon the heights.”
As I grow in age and grace, I take seriously my responsibility to tell the Good News to others by loving them with my words and actions. Psalm 71:17-18 is a prayer that says, “God, you have taught me from my youth; to this day I proclaim your wondrous deeds. Now that I am old and gray, do not forsake me, God, that I may proclaim your might to all generations yet to come.”
When I’m feeling scared, stressed, worried or alone, I remember Isaiah 43:1: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name. You are mine.” Another great stress-reliever is Deuteronomy 31:8, which says, “It is the Lord who goes before you; He will be with you and will never fail you or forsake you. So, do not fear or be dismayed.”
My heart overflows with thanksgiving when I recall all that God has done for me so far in my life, and I thank Him in advance for all the blessings that He has in store for me. I believe that He has kept His loving gaze upon me from the time that I was being formed in my mother’s womb until the present.
So, I’m here until God calls me home. In the meantime there’s work to be done. I want to use the unique gifts and talents that I have been given to be of use in the Kingdom. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know well the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a future full of hope.” I know that God has always had a plan and purpose for my life. With His grace He will help me to fulfill it to the end.
There are times when the enemy of my soul plants negative thoughts in my spirit that go something like this: “You’re too old to start something new for God. Who do you think you are? How will you ever make a difference at your age? Just stick with the status quo. Relax. Sit on the porch. Get a nice rocking chair.”
These negative thoughts flee when I remember to whisper the Name that dispels all darkness: Jesus, the Light of the World.
When God gives me an assignment, a mission to accomplish for Him, He equips me with the tools and the grace to get the job done. Then I trust in the words of Scripture that say, “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion” (Philippians 1:6). So I place myself at God’s service to be used however He wants from here on in.
I’m sure that there are others who have had similar thoughts and feelings as mine about growing older. To all of us I say, God is not finished with us yet. Let’s trust Him to guide us wherever He leads. He just may be searching the whole world for a certain someone right now who can do something for Him that no one else can do in just the way that He wants. Maybe that person is you or me. May we be willing to respond, “yes, Lord” if He taps us on the shoulder and says, “I’ve seen your heart and I can use you.”
Patricia J. Hennessy is a member of St. Gabriel Church in Charlotte.