Wednesday, July 11, 2007

So When Do I Get Wise?

I always thought that when you got older, you got wiser. Isn't that supposed to be true? I know that Titus 1 says, "Older men are to be temperate, dignified, sensible, sound in faith, in love, in perseverance." So, that's our charge. Right? I like the sound of that....temperate, dignified, sensible and all that stuff.

Here's the problem. There are things they don't tell you about. There are things that happen as you get older. Physical things. Things that you are not prepared for.

Skin tags. No one ever told me there would be little bits of skin that hang off of your body and just come out of nowhere. They should be easy to remove, BUT THEY HURT! Where do they come from? Why didn't I have them before? Is my flesh drying up and scraping off, little by little? Will there come a day when I don't have any at all?

Hair starts growing our of your ears (and other places)! Your sight begins to change! All of a sudden, it's a little harder to get out of your easy chair and you might even make some sort of grunting sound when you do!Then, one day, you find yourself walking across the living room floor slowly, one careful step at a time, just like your grandfather did! When did that happen?

So, when does the wisdom begin? I don't feel any smarter. As a matter of fact, I find myself struggling to remember things I should have no difficulty remembering, "Where did I put my car keys?" What else has been withheld? What further surprises await? Who's in charge of all this?

As I think about this and remember the awkwardness of youth, the uncertainty and the propensity to make silly, self centered mistakes, I realize I wouldn't trade this time of my life for any other.

Kelly and I have been blessed with a far deeper relationship than we ever thought possible. She become more beautiful to me day by day. Our marriage has become filled with adventure and our relationship more secure than ever before. All that comes from investing time and effort, over many years, striving to keep our marriage Christ-centered. Without those years of building and learning, we would still be struggling to know each other, just like newlyweds, excited about being married but with no idea how to live it out. I thank God those awkward days are over. I praise Him that He has shown us what real love, with Him in at the foundation, is all about. That takes time.

I also find that God has been patient with me in many matters. This has encouraged me to be more patient with those around me. Learning to allow God to have His way before I impose my own on any situation brings a certain "temperance" to things and allows life to move along more smoothly with less stress.

Yes, getting older has its' physical drawbacks. But God has been gracious and good and the years it has taken to get to the age of 55 have also shown me that his plans for us are "...for our welfare and not for our destruction." It's taken a lifetime to learn to depend on him. I'm not perfect at it but God keeps working on me. That's not only encouraging but its' tantalizing to know there's a lot more to learn.

I can truthfully say I am looking forward to getting older and going even deeper in my relationship with my wife. Knowing what God has done between the two of us encourages me that He wants to do the same thing between Him and me, go deeper. Now that's exciting!

2 comments:

  1. Hair in the ears? Skin tags? Well, I guess when I get as old as you I have all that to look forward to. Whew...good thing I'm aging gracefully! I mean I really can't imagine all of those...those...the uhm...you know...the...things...you were saying...about stuff...why am I typing these words? What's a blog? Who are you? What was I talking about?...uhm...oh yeh, I'm glad that I'm aging gracefully...oooops, gota go.

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  2. OK, I'm back...what were we talking about? Oh yeah...something about tags...boy those little plastic things are hard to break sometimes on new clothes aren't they? OK, gota go! Gota go email a friend who's down at Topsail Island at the beach! He's having a hard time grow'n old...forgets things and stuff. Later!

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