Change 8 – Age Changes Things

Reading: Ecclesiastes 12:1-7

Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor him in your youth before you grow old and say, “Life is not pleasant anymore.”  (Ecclesiastes 12:1 NLT)

One conviction I hold at the very core of my soul is the determination not to become a Grumpy Old Man. I’m happy being a man, I’m on good terms with getting old, but I have no desire to be the old guy who goes out on the porch and yells, “Hey you kids, get off my lawn!” Nor do I find it acceptable to go around saying: “That’s not how we did things in my day!”, “What’s this world coming to?”, “How come they have the music so loud in church?”, “I think they should bring back the hymnals”, and of course, “Oh how I miss the Good Old Days!” Stereotypes: Set in his ways. Stick in the mud. Can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Grumpy Old Man. No thanks!

At this point, I’ve lived eleven years longer than my Dad lived. I’ve seen a mind-blowing amount of change since his death 36 years ago. One of my favorite fantasies is to have a day with my Dad, to show him a flatscreen TV, my laptop, the internet, my cell phone, the Alexa device that controls my lights and heating, my car that warns me when I cross a lane line and keeps me a constant distance from the car ahead, things like that. This was science fiction stuff when he died!

But on another note, as I get older, I’m noticing that I wish some things would stay the same. At least they could stop changing the operating system on my phone so I’m constantly having to figure out how to navigate its technological wonders!  Actually, I think there’s enough evidence to identify a decreasing appetite for change with increasing age. We may move from embracing change to tolerating change, but we don’t have to move to ignoring change and resisting change.

Later this year I’m planning to dig into some worthwhile stuff about the Seasons of Life. For the past decade or more, I’ve given a lot of thought to how God has designed our lives to move in seasons, much like the seasons of the year. But until then, here are three helpful things to do: Be a Life-long Learner, Be Open to Wonder, and Live in the Moment.

Prayer:

Father, Thanks for the gift of life! Thanks for the privilege of aging (Gracefully)! Please grant us grace to accept and adjust to our new realities and a passion to pass on to those following behind the best of the wisdom you’ve provided along the way. Amen!