Growing old is a gift

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Living with joy”

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 gift”

Before we go any further in our study of living with joy I want to address a pet peeve of mine. Please stop complaining about getting old. Many people never get the privilege. Instead, they die young. If you’re growing older it means God has blessed you with more days of life than many others get. Rejoice and be glad! Thank Him for it and then live that day as the gift that it is.

Yes, it’s true that as we age our bodies begin to wear down. We can do less, we hurt more, and maybe we don’t look as good as we did when we were younger – but so what? If that’s the price of growing old instead of dying young it’s a small price to pay. Take care of yourself, remain as healthy as you can for as long as you can, and learn to age with dignity and grace.

The Bible celebrates old age. Proverbs 16:31 is just one of many verses that speaks well of those in old age and which encourages us to view the aging process in a positive way. There should be joy in aging and your attitude and perspective will determine if that joy is there or not. Being “old” has less to do with your chronological age than with your perspective about it. If you think you are old then you are. If you think you aren’t, then you’re not. I know fifty-year-olds who act like they’re seventy-five and I know seventy-five-year-olds who live like they’re fifty.

I love being around older folks who are aging with dignity and grace. I have a widower friend who remarried at the age of 90 and then took his new bride on a Caribbean cruise and then on a trip to Israel. He also still goes to the gym three days a week. He is lively and fun and enjoying every day of life that the good Lord grants to him. He is determined to live until he dies (to live fully and joyful until he dies.)

Please stop belly-aching about getting old. Suck-it-up, live as fully as you can under the circumstances as they are, and thank God for every day you have on this earth.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

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