Aging Gracefully According to God's PlanSample

LIFE IS A GIFT FROM GOD!

My friend didn’t have one ounce of self-centeredness and lived life with grace and beauty that flowed constantly from within. She accepted her wrinkles as a witness to her lifetime of laughter!

She told me she learned to be content and thankful at every age, for life itself is a gift of God.

“I will give thanks and praise to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well.” Psalm 139:14

When I think of how her wrinkles represented her lifetime of laughter, I can’t help but think of Abraham and Sarah. God had promised the couple a son in which the covenant would be established to his descendants after them. Take note that Abraham and Sarah were aged (he was a hundred and she was ninety). When God spoke to Abraham, Abraham fell to his face and laughed. It was then that God told Abraham to name their son Isaac which means ‘he laughs!' Laughter has everything to do with how well a person ages because laughter spreads joy, is contagious, and makes a cheerful countenance!

In Genesis 21:6, Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me.”

My friend had the key to aging gracefully! It came from deep within her spirit, not from a purchased product. Her laughter and joyful spirit made people want to be in her presence, which made the wrinkles seem unimportant.

PRACTICE: Begin being positive and look for things to make you laugh. Practice laughing and before long, it will become a part of your spirit!

PRAYER: Lord, You have spoken in Your word that our joy may be full. You desire that we be happy people, for You know the effect it has on us. We are told in Nehemiah 8:10 that Your joy is our strength! Lord, help us to be a people who spread joy and laughter, something that cannot be purchased! In Jesus’ Name. Amen