GETTING OLDER...ALWAYS MATURING

I came across a great little essay the other day, written by a golf pro by the name of Brad Davis. The title of his essay was: On Aging Well. I have pulled some segments from this article to share with you. I have bracketed my comments.

"I will be 60 in two years. I am at the point in my life where as soon as I get rid of the pain in my foot, my elbow starts hurting." (I can totally relate to this. As I grow older, I move from one pain to the next, usually with no knowledge of how or where most of these pains originated.)

"...And these are the things I would like you to ponder today. By the way, pondering is something only old people have time to do. Here are a few gifts that come with growing older:"

-"Truth is more expansive. Now I can listen to two people talking, both saying the opposite thing and hear the truth that both are speaking. In fact, I can listen to someone from a completely different background and hear truth in what they are saying. I am comfortable with what James Fowler calls polar tensions in my life. Before, things seemed so clear. I knew God and what God wanted for my life. Now things are a bit messier and less clear." (Personally, I have moved in many areas of my life, from black and white, to a healthy shade of gray. Things that riled me in the past, no longer seem that important in the grand scheme of things. I have found that the list of what's really important in life, grows smaller and smaller with each passing day.)

-"Love is more inclusive. The parable of the Good Samaritan is having more impact on my life. The answer to 'who is my neighbor?' is expanding. I am learning to see the image of God in all those God brings into my life. Before, my definition of neighbor may not have included that person, and definitely not that one." (I continue to ask God to help me see people through His eyes. He continues to answer that prayer and expand my vision for His kingdom.)

-"Work is more creative. Doing God's will is a playful act of improvisation. Where can I see God at work today and how can I join in with my part? God is always there before I arrived. The Spirit is being poured out on all flesh and God is working where we might least expect it. Before, I knew the boundaries of God's work. God could work here, but God would never work there." (As I age, I'm more comfortable within my own skin. As Popeye so eloquently said, "I am what I am" and it's all okay. I find it much easier to focus my thoughts and efforts on the areas of my passion, while utilizing my strengths - abilities and gifts. I spend less time seeking to please men, and more time seeking to please God. I have a greater desire to learn and seem to be even more teachable.)

Growing older brings on pains that were absent from my youth, but it also brings on wisdom, understanding, and a real sense of clear purpose that only a range of experiences can provide.