Too Blessed to Be StressedSample

"Aging Gratefully"

Read Isaiah 46:4

As we cross that invisible half-century line, things begin to change. Varicose veins pop and sizzle like tiny zags of electricity.

Harry Potter’s got nothing on me – he may have a lightning bolt on his forehead but I have fifty on my left leg alone.

After decades of decorating ourselves with heavy earrings, those previously plump, robust earlobes droop to our Birkenstocks. Ever notice how in young folks, the piercing hole is a tiny dot? As we age, that dot elongates into a long wobbly slash.

I tell people Captain Jack Sparrow ran his sword through my piercing hole in a fit of passion. Right.

And our earlobes aren’t the only things wobbling.

Cleavage suddenly quits cleaving and you find the best reason to wear low-cut blouses is to funnel crumbs down to collect in your belly button for a late night snack.

My PAH theory – Physiological Aging Hypothesis – states that as a woman’s age creeps northward, her body parts travel south and hips expand to new horizons east to west. We hot mamas are all over the map!

But shouldn’t maturity be the most productive season of life? After many years of trial and error, we finally get a grip on our unique sets of gifts and abilities and we can gratefully determine how best to use them for Papa God’s glory (Romans 12:6-8). Yep, we’ve finally begun to see the wonder of Papa God’s incredible creation that is “me.”

Eyesight might be on the fritz, but insight is keener than ever. We’ve learned to take our eyes off the mirror and focus on things more important (1 Peter 3:4).

So today, sweet sister, regardless of your youth (or lack of it), won’t you join me in choosing gratitude for memories of the preciousness of life and take this opportunity to feel refreshed and renewed by the promise of your glorious, heavenly future? “He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age” (Ruth 4:15).

Additional Elements:
BFF (Blessed Friends Forever) prayer: Lord of All My Years, I refuse to die before my actual death. I’m grateful to be here. Use me to Your glory. Amen.

Digging Deeper: Read Psalm 3:3