Aging Gratefully: Make Peace With Aging & MidlifeНамуна

Some days the mirror is unkind. My reflection seems to capture my attention most when I’m feeling discouraged. Then I look into that glass.

And by “look” in the mirror, I mean I take a long, hard stare. I hope, in vain, that I’ll find a reason to be encouraged there. Of course, that never works. It never has. If my reflection wasn’t good enough for me at nine, nineteen, or twenty-nine . . . how silly of me to think I could find the affirmation I crave there today in mid-life.

Why do I turn more focus to the mirror in times of stress or disappointment? What am I searching for? I think it’s beauty. Like a singular flower growing in the middle of the weeds, I long to see a glimmer of life springing out of the dirt. We’re wired to desire beauty.

But the beauty I seek will never be found on the outside of this aging body. I love God’s care in emphasizing this truth to us in several places in the Scriptures we’ll read today. He knew we’d be tempted to find satisfaction in the superficial. So, he kindly and gently reminds us that external beauty was never as valuable as we believed.

True beauty isn’t about being five foot nine and model thin, with flowing hair and flawless skin. Beauty is more than a magazine picture. True beauty is a life lived in surrender to Jesus.

Peter has instructions for the women of the early church. He tells them that their true beauty isn’t in their ability to wear fancy clothes or look attractive. Instead, true beauty happens through the sanctification of our hearts as they’re transformed in submission to the Savior. It’s only through this submission that I can have this gentle and quiet spirit Peter mentions.

When my pursuit of beauty is external, my heart is disrupted and unsettled. It’s never enough. True beauty in midlife looks like peace. True beauty in midlife looks like treating others—and ourselves—gently.

Launching children, caring for elderly parents, coping with fluctuating hormones, and everything else that midlife offers can feel anything but peaceful. Life is constantly changing. There’s no security if we look around us to find stability and safety. It can only be found in the arms of God.

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We hope you've enjoyed this sample of devotional content from Aging Gratefully: A 30-Day Devotional by Heather Creekmore published by Our Daily Bread. To learn more about this encouraging devotional for women in mid-life or beyond, visit: https://www.improvebodyimage.com/aging-gratefully For more great hope and help for your aging or body image struggles, check out the Compared to Who? podcast or Heather Creekmore's other YouVersion reading plans.