Читать книгу Aging Faithfully - Missy Buchanan - Страница 10

Read Ecclesiastes 3:11-12.

A woman looks into a full-length mirror and sees a stranger. How odd that her outside appearance does not match her inside feelings. She studies her face, how it sags. She looks at her wrinkled hands speckled with age spots. But somehow she feels much the same inside as she did at age twenty.

She still loves big band music, historic lighthouses, and strawberry shortcake, just as she did when she was much younger. It is only when she sees her reflection or feels the pain of arthritis that she remembers she is growing old.

Aging is a curious phenomenon. How do you know when you are old? There is no definitive line in the sand. You don’t cross a boundary one day and—poof !—you are suddenly old. No, aging happens gradually, a process that begins at birth and lasts a lifetime. Somewhere along the journey, you begin to notice that your eyes struggle to read the small print. Your knees stiffen when you sit too long. But even as another milestone birthday goes by, you feel the same on the inside.

One fact is certain. If you put your trust in your physical body, eventually you will be betrayed. Though antiaging products and procedures may slow the aging process or at least its evidence, they cannot save you from physical decline. That is why you need to anchor your life in something that won’t deteriorate over time. That is why you so desperately need God.

Prayer

Ever-loving God, I am grateful that even though my body has changed over time, you will never change. I thank you for creating me as a person with unique gifts and desires like . . .

Help me to care for my body appropriately but to resist putting my faith in flesh and bones. Teach me to trust you as I age, for you are Creator of my ageless soul. Amen.

Suggestion

In what ways do you feel like you did when you were younger? What still delights you even though your physical body has changed? If you love to travel but can’t take long trips, immerse yourself in travel books. Surf the Internet; watch travel shows on TV. Find ways to enjoy the interests and pursuits you always loved. Adapt the method when necessary. Rejoice in all that makes you unique.