Just recently I was on a video site about older women desiring to be as young as they can as long as they can through exercise and clothing styles.
I felt so bad for one woman in particular who said; "having gray hair is no badge of honor", as though it were a bad thing.
When we do not accept our station in life as given to us by God we are causing fear and frustration that need not be. Pretending to be young by acting young those who do it are demonstrating an immature mentality. Those who are mature are able to say with a smile and with joy that they are old and it's acceptable to them.
The fear of growing older has unfortunately overtaken America. People are working hard to appear younger than their age merely to impress others.
Sadly when the younger people want to pretend their parents are not old they are expressing a lack of empathy and kindness to aging parents who may need their help. Perhaps pretending their parents are youthful helps the children defer the help their aging parents may need.
Demeaning old age as though it is something to avoid is devaluing those who are elderly. We ought to be celebrating where we are in life, even more so, the many years we lived that gave us experiences that grow wisdom within our soul.
Those who desire to be perpetually young lack the wisdom of many years of experience that brought them to their age.
I hear young people all the time praising the elderly who can do all the things they did when they were young as though this is a badge of honor. It is a subtle way of ignoring those who have infirmities as they grow weaker with age. Looking with contempt toward those who are not able to do many things anymore is wicked and prideful.
I have no desire to do the things I did when I was young, not because I can't but because they no longer hold my interest. As we grow older our interests change as the wisdom of life has taught us what is of value and what is foolishness.
God cursed the earth because of sin. When this happened every human being grows old and will die. It is my considered opinion that God did this to show us our fragility to help us see our need for Him. As we age with many infirmities we see more our dependence on God than ever before.
It is through difficulties that we turn to God. Hardly ever does a person turn to God when things are just the way they like them to be.
2 Corinthians 5:1-10 "5 For we know that if our earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made by hands, eternal in the heavens.
2 For indeed, in this tent we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven,
3 since in fact after putting it on, we will not be found naked.
4 For indeed, we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life.
5 Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave us the Spirit as a pledge.
6 Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord—
7 for we walk by faith, not by [d]sight—
8 but we are of good courage and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.
9 Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive compensation for his deeds done through the body, in accordance with what he has done, whether good or bad."
We will not be judged by our youthful look, but by our character, as we walked with Christ, whether obedient or disobedient. Believers do not lose salvation but will be judged according to their reward. Their appearance and abilities in old age will not be a factor, except their attitude toward God's will for them will be everything.
Where is our focus, is it Christ or is it this life based on superficial appearance and abilities?
