Are you looking forward to getting older?
Not the aches and the pains or the more serious bodily deterioration. Nor the reduction in energy. Those things are no fun at all. But the wonderful benefits of age - are you looking forward to them?
We live in a culture obsessed by youth - looking young, living young, feeling young - but the Bible has a different perspective.
Age can bring wisdom
People of any age can have knowledge but true wisdom requires experience, a deep-seated knowledge of God's word and prayerfulness too. That takes time to develop. While age in itself is no guarantee of wisdom, a long life lived under Jesus' rule is fertile ground for true wisdom. And how wonderful it is to be wise! How wonderful to share wise words and attitudes with those who struggle.
The glory of young men is their strength, but the splendour of old men is their grey hair. (Proverbs 20:29)
Age can bring training opportunities
It's the way of the church: the spiritually mature helping the spiritually immature. And the more mature we become in our faith as the years go on, the more we can be role-models and encouragers to those around us. What a privilege to spur on others on in their walk with the Lord.
Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. (Titus 2:3-5)
Age can bring Christ-likeness
With every passing day, the Spirit is working in us to make us more like Jesus. We wont be perfect this side of death (or Jesus' return) but we will be more like our Saviour. How exciting to look forward to a more forgiving heart, a more patient mind, a more gentle tongue, a more grace-fuelled life.
Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6)
Age can bring us closer to eternal bliss
Paul had it right: For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain (Philippians 1:21). And as the weeks go on, we move ever closer to that gain. It's going to be great: no more tears, no more pain, no more sickness, no more strife. Perfect in every sense of the word.
There are downsides to getting older - no-one would deny that - but there are delightful things to embrace too. So let's be suspicious of culture's call to eternal youth and instead begin to love where the Lord of the years is taking us. His works are right - and the future he lays before us is glorious.