GROWING OLD; GROWING UP ... Physically and Spiritually

In my devotions yesterday I read "Old age is the season when we can give ourselves to 'soul-making' as the Quakers say. We can concentrate on getting to know God better and cultivating character traits that make us more like Him. Age breaks down our strength and energy and strips us of our busyness. It's God's way of getting us to slow down so we'll make more time for Him. We can think more deeply about life, about ourselves, and about others."

In some ways I agree with that but, in other ways, I do not. Now that I am nearing "old age" I find I do tend to think more deeply about life, relationships, and others. If we wait until we are "old" to concentrate on getting to know God better and develop Christlikeness it will be much more difficult to "change" and we will have let precious opportunities to be "used by God" slip by us in our "youth". If I had waited until I was "old" to begin trying to develop a healthier lifestyle in eating properly and excercising, my body would be much more difficult to "train" and my poor lifestyle in my youth might inflict upon my body physical complications, diseases, etc. to appear in the "fall of my life" that may have been avoided had I strived towards a healthy lifestyle early in my life.

On this second day of my "3 Week Body Makeover" plan I must admit I am having quite a bit of stiff joints, sore muscles, and general difficulty accomplishing any significant movement very quickly after any sustained period of inactivity. It would have been so much better had I maintianed my healthy habits I had finally established in my 40's but let slip over the past month or so.

I am so thankful I have continued my "healthy habits" in my spiritual walk since I was 12 years old. Sure there have been times I would slip and miss some days in reading God's Word and talking to Him but those days are far and few between these past 3 years or so because I "hunger" for the Lord. I truly want to know Him and become more like Him day by day but it would have been so much more difficult had I not started this journey early in my life ... not Impossible, but more difficult. I am so thankful I did not wait for "old age" to slow me down to begin growing in God.

I have seen many grow to "old age" and never see the rush of their lives "slow down". In fact my father-in-law once marvelled at how he ever had the time to do everything before he retired because he was finding it hard to "get it all done" once he did retire. During our vacation, we met a Christian woman who was 93 years old and still quite spunky. I am sure glad she did not wait for "old age" to slow her down! So we must not wait for, not depend on, "old age" to slow us down to make more time to get to truly know God and allow Him to mold us into His Likeness just as we must not wait until "old age" to seek a healthier lifestyle. We must begin TODAY.

"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity." (I Timothy 4:12 NIV)

May those who come behind us find us faithful!