The secret of ageing well is staying young at heart, staying close to God,
and staying fully engaged with life. The mirror isn’t your problem; how you
see yourself is. Have you noticed how ‘young’ some older people are, and how
‘old’ their peers seem? Seeking the elusive fountain of youth isn’t the
answer, nor is surrendering to time and fate. Rather, do these two things.
First, be realistic! Nothing is sillier than a woman made up to recreate what
she hasn’t been for decades except an older man in an unbuttoned shirt
flashing jewelry intended to recreate the macho image of a lost youth. When
you are comfortable with your age and stage of life, others will be too.
Solomon points out that age decreases vigor, dims vision, slackens muscles,
stiffens joints, whitens hair, and so on (Ecclesiastes 12:1-5 [4] TM).
Vitamins, exercise and a good attitude help, but you must be realistic in
order to handle ageing with dignity.
Second, keep giving. ‘Be generous; invest in acts of charity. Charity yields high
returns. Don’t hoard your goods; spread them around. Be a blessing to others’
(Ecclesiastes 11:1-2 [5] TM). Don’t stop investing your energy and resources into
God’s kingdom because you think it’s time for the young folk to take over. If you
do that loneliness and depression will set in, and illness and death soon follow.
When you shut the door, draw the curtains and isolate yourself, you’re old at
any age. But when you stay in the mainstream, give yourself to God and
others, you’ll stay young all your life!
