Happy Birthday to me! Happy Birthday to me! Oh, how I look forward to growing just another year older today… and hopefully a little wiser also. However, age is an interesting conundrum. As we age, we move one step farther from the crib and one step closer to the grave. What does it all mean though? God grants us eternal life when we make it to the finish line, but what about the in-between and the journey that eventually will climax at that conclusion. Let’s look at how to approach age (mostly a very over-secularized idea with the emphasis to LOOK good at any age) from a Christian perspective.
God gives us age to mark experience on Earth. As we grow up, the experiences and the lives that we have touched will be numerous, but age forces us to look at the quality of those interactions. As the sands of time pass, the physical opportunities to carry out God’s Will decrease and so the effort and depth of interactions must increase to counterbalance this change. Wisdom teaches us that anything worth doing is worth doing well. Even though society paints the idea of growing older as limiting (at least from the mid 30’s and on), there is no need to buy the idea that society sells. Have faith in God’s plan for you to carry his message.
Age also opens us to new ailments or growth dependent on how far we are along the road. For myself, I am still growing, but as more people enter the age of geriatrics, the possibility of newfound energy or muscular growth slows. When we are young, we receive the most popular birthday gifts and dreams can grow and seem ever expansive, and we can help others make it to where they need to be, but we lack a great perspective of the world. However, in the elderly world, dreams may still be just as big and a world perspective seems to be a bit more established, but the elderly lack the mobility to act upon some of their fantasies. Age helps bring these two parallel paths of youth and senescence together. Age reminds us of how connected humans are in this world we have inherited from our Lord, for our destinies are bound and dependent on each other and only when we co-operate can we combine the world perspective of our elders and the vigour of the young to move forward as a society.
Lastly, age lets us count our blessings. As we grow into the world of wisdom and experience, every day allows a new opportunity to praise God. As we gain experience, new ways of helping others open up. The world is subject to our creative potential and is only limited by what we perceive and feel for others. As we age, we grow closer to our fellow man and affect the lives of others in a manner that cannot be reversed. Every time we see the sunshine of a new day, we are walking into the opportunity to prosper the lives of others and ourselves and as we do, God’s mission is fulfilled. In this way, age sets our soul free from jealousy and selfishness as we embrace the love of Christ and therefore age can’t be all that bad. When we allow ourselves to age with dignity and use the facilities that God has provided us with, we move one day closer to eternal life as well as furthering God’s love! Go on and age with grace now, forever, and always!