I'm Not Old, I'm Older

     Getting older (not old) is a good thing, considering the alternative. But getting older is not a good feeling. It's a tutorial of our anatomy as each recently used muscle inflames itself to notoriety. It's a reminder that remembering is.... ah, forgetting what you were going to say. Getting physically older betrays the immature thoughts of our mind or notion that we are still able to unscrew jar lids, lift 50lb bags of dog food without consequence or sleep through the night without interruption. The adage the older I get, the faster I was rings true. Racquetball succumbs to Pickleball. Basketball is replaced by Cornhole, and Golf becomes par for the course. 

    And speaking of courses, when or who teaches us how to get older? Throughout our adolescent years, parents are tasked with teaching the necessities of getting through life, but who teaches the old to get older? How do we keep from being grumpy but gracious? How do we get better and not bitter, selfless and not selfish? How many times have I heard myself and peers say "I don't put up with that anymore"? Why? How do years of walking on this planet entitle us to being impatient and graceless? Who gave us permission to express our unfiltered thoughts via an unbridled tongue?

    Lord help us (me) to be gracious in speech and humble in thought as we age. To remember that our role as parents of adolescents no longer exists. Our assigned task of nurturing, leading, teaching and modeling maturity ended years ago. We had our opportunity the first 18 years of their life and there is no make-up session. May we embrace the freedom from our earlier responsibilities and behave more like cheerleaders, advocates, and encouragers. May our counseling be in response to inquiry, not our unsolicited expression of opinions. The proverb to be slow to speak and quick to listen (James 1:19, Proverbs 18:13) seems especially applicable to us. 

    Though getting older may feel like uncharted waters, rest assured the Captain of life's ship is in control and we've been endowed with the very presence of God in our lives when we place our faith in Him. May we exercise the gift of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control throughout the remaining days of what we may think we have.