Even Though I am Older

While the information age has made life so much more convenient, it doesn’t necessarily filter out the stuff I would rather not be informed about. Hordes of medical discoveries that are more ominous than helpful, promises of enriched health by the multiple ads for supplements, by the way, that would break any fixed income, and the constant reminder that age 50 is the new 40. Age 60 is the new updated version of 50, etc., etc. Pictures of airbrushed senior models adorn many ads for everything from medication to perfume and cosmetics. After all, age is just a number. At the other end of the spectrum is how much the world accommodates youthfulness. Recently, all the political targeting for the younger vote made me downright grin.

While it is important for them to exercise their civic duty, most of them haven’t been on the planet long enough to really absorb the impact an election can have on daily life. But that is the beauty of the innocent voter. They may have knowledge but they lack experience. Marketing agencies court the younger consumer with visuals of vehicles bouncing over rough terrain, offering fantasies if said vehicle is purchased, life will be a big weekend adventure. One where you can camp by the river in luxury, eating organic food while you stretch out on your yoga mat. Even churches in their attempt to be more appealing to a broader range of ages have refitted their services with more contemporary music and lighting for a youthful facelift to the worship experience. While this effort is kinder in motive, it is contrasted in the marketplace, where companies let folks go due to a reduction in force and budget cuts. Often, this is at the cost of people having a reduction or losing retirement benefits and paying the younger replacement at half the cost. Of course, these folks have half the experience, so I guess the market gets what it pays for. Age discrimination has been around at both ends of the spectrum for a good long time. One could make the argument that the youth has an equal complaint when being held back from opportunity due to their age and lack of experience. If ever you have been turned down for a job because of a lack of experience, you can sympathize.

One of the great advantages of living a life, walking by faith, is that the bible says God marks time differently than we do (2 Peter 3:8). Therefore I can conclude that God’s view of age is different as well. When I look at the scriptures, God used a variety of people of various ages to carry out His purposes. Everyone from Methuselah to Josiah had a role. If you are unfamiliar with these folks, one was the oldest person in the bible and the other was a boy who became king at the age of eight. Even though my aging body has begun to show some wear and be less dependable than I would like, the bible reminds me that my spirit can stay young. Just because Medicare and AARP are nipping at my heels, and some of my experience is considered “antique”, I haven’t outgrown my usefulness by God to make a difference in the world for Him.

Today, I consider Caleb and Joshua, both youthful men when Moses first sent them to spy out the promised land in the account in Numbers 13. At that time, their confidence and faith in God was expressed through their vital youthful fervor as they were the only 2 of 12 scouts that returned and said, “With the Lord, we can take this land!” God richly blessed these 2 guys because of their faith. As we follow their walk with God, we see they continue to follow obediently, be divinely blessed with the opportunity, and keep their fervor despite the aging process. Caleb shares with Joshua as they come again to a place where they must fight to possess the land to which God has provided and Moses divided in the book of Joshua 14:

“Remember what the Lord said to Moses about you and me… I was 40 years old when Moses called me to scout and explore the land of Canaan… For my part, I wholeheartedly followed the Lord my God…Now you can see the Lord has kept me alive as He promised…Today, I am 85 years old. I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on that journey, and I can still travel and fight as well as I could then… So give me the hill country the Lord has promised me… If the Lord is with me, I will drive them out of the land, just as the Lord has said,” (read the whole chapter. This is a condensed version).

Caleb took possession of the land and the scriptures record in verse 15, “the land had rest from war.” At 85, he led a successful military campaign. And not behind a desk. In those days there weren’t admin positions in this type of conflict. Caleb had to dress and fight alongside his youthful counterparts. This means Caleb fought with his sons and grandsons. I love that Caleb had aged, he was experienced, he had fervor! But the most important part is, Caleb had faith in the faithful God who had inspired and energized him for the life God had called him to. We see this type of youthful spirit in John, the Apostle. Though John was in exile on the isle of Patmos, he passionately penned through divine inspiration, the book of Revelation. John never lost his zeal and his messages containing and reinforcing the role of love in the life of a believer. His writings are some of the most poignant in the letters to the churches. Bear in mind, though John served out his old age on an island, he was tortured and sentenced to hard labor. John’s faith in Christ kept his fervor fresh, despite his age.

I have neither had to fight for land or live in persecuted exile. But I do have to ask myself, even in softer circumstances with less challenge, what is the level of my spiritual energy, despite my age? Have I surrendered to the “out to pasture” mentality? How much of my thinking has been influenced by the American dream and Wall Street regarding an entitled state of retirement? Though my body sometimes complains about its variant aches and pains, am I doing all I can to maintain youthful vitality for the Lord’s purposes? This is more than a commitment to buying effective wrinkle cream and wearing youthful fashion. I am reminded that I need to care for all my being, body, mind and spirit to cooperate with God’s purpose being worked out through me. Aging is a gift of life. Currently, there is no alternative to aging. Aging in a Christ-centered life is a privilege.

The scriptures tell us…

“Gray hair is a crown of glory, it is gained in a righteous life.” Proverbs 16:31

“Wisdom is with the aged and understanding in the length of days.” Job 12:12.

“Who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagles” Psalm 103:5.

“Though my flesh and heart may fail, God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Psalm 73:26.

and one of my favorites comes from Psalm 91:16, “With a long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”

These scriptures make me mindful that I need a biblical perspective of aging, not the cultural spin of Hollywood or the editorial slant from fashion magazines. I also need to be mindful of the influence family, and friends may have on my thinking. Well-meaning friends can without ill intention, color my view of myself regarding my age. We need to encourage each other to age gracefully and embrace the youthful vitality that God offers us through His grace. I also need to fight for the joy that living long offers and not fall prey to self-pity over some of the losses aging brings.

Even though I am older, the word of God tells me His mercies are new every day and though outwardly I am aging, inwardly I can be renewed every day that I remain on this planet. God is not a respecter of persons, and He is Emmanuel. God with us in all our days. God can use me until I go home to be with Him and I believe, just like Caleb, with God’s strength and vitality, I can take whatever challenge God brings before me. The benefit of walking with Christ from youth to old age is our own witness of His faithfulness in all our days. As I kneel to pray, my older knees remind me it is harder to accomplish this task, but my heart reminds me, it is oh so much easier to trust Him. Aging has its benefits.