Reflect
In her late 70s, my mother once said, “Growing old is not for the feint-hearted.” The greatest emotional/spiritual challenge of growing old is fear. Some fear the afterlife. Others fear the process of dying. Most fear becoming disabled to include the loss of mental capacity. Sadly, most elderly folks don’t have an outlet for voicing that fear. As we age, though, we can view it as an opportunity to heal from old wounds and regrets and to lay claim to some wisdom we have acquired along the way.
Pray
As I continue in my own old age journey,
help me to embrace these words from Job:
Those who are older should speak
for wisdom comes with old age.”
Help me to rejoice and hold my head high
with the words from Proverbs:
“Gray hair is a crown of glory.”
Act
If you are older, write down two things from your journey that you know to be true. If you are not elderly, take some time to listen to an aging loved one. Their stories can be a blessing and a lesson.
2 thoughts on “Growing Older”
Not only do we all have a soul, but that we are eternal beings! That is something the devil doesn’t want people to know, in addition to thinking that he doesn’t even exist.
When we say the Our Father prayer, we say “…thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven, …” In other words, we are creating our heaven or hell right here in this life. When we sin, we are living in a type of hell, which is the absence of Jesus. When we do what we are supposed to be doing, then we are fulfilling our destiny and doing what God wants us to do and as a consequence, live in a type of heaven right here in this world.
How could a person go through life thinking they have no soul? The same way a person can go through life thinking there is no God. When a person becomes cognizant that yes, there is a God, and yes, we all have a soul, then our outlook on life changes. Yes, our values will be different (something the devil knows), but most importantly, we end up doing the right thing. That is, if you’re a God-fearing person.
So, why would a person not trust in Jesus? What is with all of this “fear” talk? Your guess is as good as mine. What is this fear of growing old? Do you not know how many people don’t make it to your age? So, then why are you complaining about growing old? Yes, we all grow old and ugly, if we’re lucky. So, you don’t want to get ugly? Isn’t that a little vain? Don’t you know people are going to be looking at your soul via your eyes? They can tell if you’re a good person or not, don’t fool yourself. So, you’re afraid of going blind? Yes, I’m afraid of such a prospect too. What could be a worse fate? If nothing else, it could end up a case of the blind leading the blind, lol. So, growing old is not that bad as long as one is young at heart. That’s the way my mom was. She never even grew ugly! She was always a child at heart. She loved life and loved children. That’s why she had so many children, I guess. Yes, she had dementia in her last years, but her soul was still there. Yes, my dad was senile in his last years, but his soul was still there too.
Now, will someone please tell me why the majority of the saints all die young? Is it because once they fulfill their life’s mission, there’s no need for them to stay longer? And the rest of us? Well, I guess we will be lucky if we can simply run out the clock.
Thanks for this. Yes, I am scared of it. I have reflected more, examined much. I’ve come back to the Church called not once but twice. Who am I, that my Lord should want my love, to come after me twice when I was so far away?