Coach's Corner

Aging Well

“Is not wisdom found among the aged?  Does not long life bring understanding?” (Job 12:12)

Getting older is a privilege!  The aches and pains that go with it don’t make us feel too special, but a privilege it is!!  Do you remember when you were just a kid, if you were like me you always wanted to be older.  If we were 7 we wanted to be 10.  If we were 10 we wanted to be 13.  When we were 13, we desperately wanted to be 16 so we could experience the freedom of having our driver’s license and the independence that came with it (though we didn’t expect to have to pay for our own gas or car insurance, but such is life).  With independence comes responsibility...this is the part of aging that I don’t see as necessarily as a benefit.  As our independence increases we find our responsibilities increase as well.  We don’t like that part of aging!  Oh, if we could be young again and have less responsibility.  I remember when the only thing I needed to worry about was getting on my bike after school and meeting up with my friends at the corner store.  Those were the days!  Now, I watch my own kids and I realize how simple life was then and how fast we really do grow up.

There was a song in the 80’s that I remember listening to by a band named Ultravox - “Forever Young” (now I’m showing my age).  Our culture isn’t big on aging.  In fact, youthfulness is celebrated and aging is resisted.  We color our hair to hide our gray whisks.  We get face lifts to deal with the wrinkles.  When asked our age, we do anything to hide the truth about how old we are.  Why do we work so hard to deny ourselves the privilege of aging?  We try to cosmeticize (sometimes for good reason) our movement towards becoming an ‘older person.’ I sometimes wonder who we’re kidding.  Life and the aging process is impossible to stop, equally impossible to slow down.  Time has a way of having an impact on us all - there is no escaping it.  To quote a well-known Soap Opera - “As time passes through the hour-glass, so does the Days of Our Lives.” Time waits for no one!  Despite our efforts, we definitely can’t stop it and we can’t even slow it down.

Aging happens to the best of us!  But with aging (if we live right), so comes wisdom.  With each passing life-season comes a renewed perspective, a greater maturity and a more well-adjusted self-concept not to mention a deeper relationship with God.  The Bible describes aging as normal, as part of our journey towards God and his Heaven.  It is hard to watch the ones we love age and move towards the exit door of this world, no denying that!  But isn’t aging and dying supposed to be a celebration in the Christian community?  Then why do we resist aging so much?  Maybe it’s because we want to be valued and our culture seems to place a premium on being young.  Maybe it’s because it reminds us of our own mortality and we so desperately want to live forever!  But we can … we really can live forever!  Not this side of heaven, but on the other side Jesus promises us that we can be with him.

It is a beautiful thing to watch people age with grace and with wisdom.  I meet older people all of the time who inspire me with a youthful attitude, Christian value system, child-like innocence and a vibrant faith and they model for me what it means to age with dignity and respect.  They don’t complain about life, or about the aging process, but they’re thankful for each new day and the adventure that it brings to them.  I don’t want to be ashamed of my age, but proud of it and thankful for each passing day that God permits me to have in this life. 

Aging-well is more art than science!  I want to be a gifted artist that offers more value with each passing year. I agree with Job, wisdom comes with old age and understanding with long life.

Yours for aging well,

Pastor Dave Larmour

Posted March 31, 2007