![]() He knows our tendency to lose heart when troubles come. God knew we would need such an admonition to live life to completion. God’s Word warns us to "Consider, who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart" (Heb. Their status on Facebook could read "status quo." As we age, we can grow weary of so many things and even find our weariness acceptable. Often as people age, they develop a "been there, done that" mentality that can lead to apathy. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day" (2 Cor. When we face our own physical issues, we must "not lose heart. Yet we can encourage, pray for, and support those around us who find their bodies declining. As we age, we find we are unable to do what we once did. The body is a beautiful gift from the Lord, no matter what shape it is in. Wrinkles are inevitable, no matter how hard we try to hide them. The West today might define "aging gracefully" as maintaining physical beauty, staying self-sufficient, and being physically active and healthy. We must practice forgiveness and love others well, pouring ourselves into the next generation. Bitter roots can grow like uncontrollable weeds in our hearts and affect our relationships. God’s Word commands us to "see to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many" (Heb. ![]() When pain occurs in relationships, our natural tendency is to pull away. Relational Woundsīy the time a person reaches the mid-forties, he or she has probably experienced hurt such as betrayal, slander, or gossip by other believers. If God is with us, why are we living in fear? To age well we must give our fears to the Lord and remember that He is Immanuel, God with us. As we look at reality, we must cling to God’s commands in Scripture that tell us, "Do not fear for I am with you" (Isa. Over time, if not attuned to what Scripture tells us about fear, we can unknowingly live with a fearful heart. Gradually we lose the freedom and simple wonder that we had as children. FearĪs we age, we become aware of more things to fear: dying, losing a child, losing a parent, being single, infertility, cancer, another 9/11. These serve as warnings to stay fresh and age well. Over the years I’ve observed some pitfalls that hinder us. The question is, Are we aging well spiritually? Whether fifteen, twenty-five, fifty, or beyond, each of us is aging at this very moment. And I’ve discovered that each of us, no matter how old, has options on how we age-spiritually speaking. Since those days, I’ve tacked on an additional twenty years in full-time ministry. Whether backpacking in the Catskills, camping on Catalina Island, or participating in routine YMCA fitness classes, these older adults realized life did not have to plateau when they reached a certain age. I got to hang out with really cool older adults and challenge them toward wellness. For a twentysomething who majored in gerontology and exercise physiology in college, the job was a perfect fit. It seems like yesterday I was driving around town in my blue Mazda GLC jetting from one YMCA to another.
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