Our Bible verse for today: “Grey hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained by a righteous life.” Proverbs 16:31 (NIV)
Our thought for today: “Growing old is a good thing.”
The other day I was having a Facebook chat with a couple of old friends whom I haven’t seen in more than forty years. We grew-up in the same town but we haven’t seen each other since our early twenties. However, we have been Facebook friends for probably six or seven years.
On this occasion they wanted to wish my wife Linda a happy birthday. One of them then mentioned that she was having some ear problems and had lost some of her hearing. Another mentioned that she was experiencing some back and leg pain and was having therapy for it. I said that the older I get the more aches and pains I have, but still, I’m grateful for the privilege of growing old because so many people die young. We then mentioned some of our friends we had grown-up with who died in their 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s but here we were, in our 60s and still kicking it – but complaining! We all agreed that the aches and pains were worth it and we were glad to be alive.
That conversation was about the aches and pains associated with growing old. Last night I was thinking about old age again, but this time in a different way and for a different reason. In my reading I came across a statement written by Dallas Willard regarding Christians who age well. He wrote, “As people age the beauty of their souls can shine through.” Yes! I’ve known many older Christians like that. As they aged not only did they become more mellow and relaxed, but they became increasingly spiritually mature.
If we live this Christian life well then the fruit of the Spirit as described by Paul in Galatians 5:22-23 (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control), will become more and more a part of our nature. As we mature spiritually, those virtues will shine forth out of us.
In Proverbs 16:31 Solomon referred to grey hair (which is associated with old age), as being a crown of splendor which is attained by that person as a result of having lived a righteous and virtuous life. That’s a word picture, a metaphor. The crown of splendor attained through righteous living is the beauty that Dallas Willard was referring to. It is the wonderful, beautiful, well-developed, and spiritually mature soul which was formed over a lifetime of faithful living, and which is now shining out of that older person.
Growing old at all is a good thing. Many people don’t get the privilege of living a long life. But growing old well is a beautiful thing. People who walk closely with Jesus all the days of their lives grow old well, and the beauty of their soul shines through. That’s proof of a life well spent.
Oak Hill Baptist Church