Entering one phase of life to another can be daunting. My thirteen year old granddaughter is struggling with this now as she hangs on to her childhood years while wanting to be grown up. Suddenly you’re expected to shed off the things of yesterday and become a different person.
When we pass from childhood into young adulthood, we’re told to toss aside the things that occupied our lives for over a decade. The Legos, puzzles, baby dolls and Barbies are put into garage sales and expected to be erased from our memory. Our desire to hang onto past securities is suddenly erased. We’re asked to be more mature, make good choices, be responsible, look a certain way and be independent.
Somehow, I can totally relate to what my granddaughter is experiencing. The same kind of things happen when you grow from middle to old age. You’re expected to put away things that made you who you are. You must be brave and take the next step in your life. You should slow down, take it easy, enjoy life because you’re old and you deserve it. This is good advice and well intended, but hard to swallow and difficult to do.
In every stage of life, God has plans for us. He’s shaping us for what will come next. Change can be a difficult challenge or a great opportunity depending on how you look at it. We may want to slide effortlessly from one stage of life into the other, but it ain’t easy.
It will be the same when we approach our final destination. We know it’s coming. We don’t really want it to happen, but we also know that through it we will be blessed beyond belief. Allow God help you make those transitions easy. He will!
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I think sometimes it’s wise to resist the push to the next stage. Growing up and aging are not passive activities. Minds and bodies need to be prepared and aware. Our ears need to be open to what our body is saying, what others are saying and what God is saying.
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So true, David. Everything in life is a process, where God is shaping and molding us. The difficulty comes in hanging on to the past. Have a great day!
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My delusions of youthfulness were shattered recently when I was out walking the dog and a man I did not know asked me if I ever eat lunch at the senior center. I came home and decided I needed a comforting cup of herbal tea. Reaching into the cabinet without looking, I pulled out my last big milestone birthday mug… from three years ago.
When my children were little I marked their increasing height on a wall. Now I have four marks on the wall, tracking my decreasing height. Somehow I have metamorphosed into great-grandma, the incredibly shrinking woman. But in my heart I still feel like I am about twenty-three years old.
My baby granddaughter is twenty-four and in a Harvard University graduate program. She has outgrown me in every way.
Excuse me while I get ready for my senior citizen lunch…
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LOL. That was one of my rude awakenings as well – and to be asked if I qualified for the senior discount (I was only 55). I figured if I looked that old, I must be qualified.. Kudos to you for reaching great grandma status. I hope I live to see that happen. I also am shrinking. I think all my height went to my waistline and hips. I must be compacting. Have a great lunch at the senior center.
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Great read!
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Thank you, Lionel. Every time I go into another phase of my life it gets so confusing. I really need God to give me the courage to move forward.
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I totally understand. Psalms 32:8 is a great scripture for guidance?
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Thanks friend!
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