Aging Gratefully: Make Peace With Aging & MidlifeSýnishorn

The years behind me have allowed me to grow stronger. With solid grounding, I’m free to explore and use my gifts and walk in God’s purpose for my life. In my twenties, thirties, and beyond, I floundered internally. Like a sapling, I bent with the wind. I’m grateful God protected me and kept me tethered to Him.

Now, I feel sturdier. I can age gratefully because I know that the more years I’ve had to mature in Christ, the stronger I am to withstand the storms, stand tall, and flourish for Him.

We’ve all encountered evidence of trees whose shallow roots made them susceptible to the ravages of drought, pummeling winds, and vandals. How do we invest in the practices that ensure we’re deeply rooted for this next season of life’s journey?

As always, we take our best cues from Scripture.

God thought the tree metaphor significant enough to choose it throughout Scripture. Psalm 1 tells us the one who delights in the Lord will be like a tree planted by the river. In Psalm 92:12–15, we see the tree in the context of aging:

The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, “The Lord is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.”

What’s a biblical tree’s secret to aging well? How do they stay fresh and green, youthful, and strong? Earlier in the psalm and then again in verse 15 we find the answer: They praise the Lord.

That can be an important secret of our maturing too—developing deep roots so that we stay connected to our spiritual and emotional “water supply” and turn to praise God, who gave us the privilege of years.

Feeling down about growing older? Praise eases depression (Isaiah 61:3). Feeling restless or anxious, like something is missing or unaccomplished yet? Praise satisfies our souls (Psalm 63:5). Praise increases our faith and keeps our focus lifted higher—on God and His kingdom instead of the little world we’ve built around us. It urges our thoughts away from our culture’s misunderstanding of the value of aging and toward the only One worthy of a lifelong pursuit.