“A Book of Verses underneath the Bough, A Jug of Wine, a Loaf of Bread—and Thou – Beside me singing in the Wilderness. Oh, Wilderness were Paradise enow!” Omar Khayyam

The average life expectancy in the United States is 78.6. I’ve passed that by almost six years. My mother lived to 86, Her mother was 76. My paternal grandmother was in her nineties, so I come from a line of long livers. (What good is a long liver, anyway?) I wonder if I’m still alive, because God isn’t quite ready for me yet, or do I still have things to finish.  Statistics don’t predict the future for individual life spans.  They simply revolve around data of a selected few.  It’s better for us not to know the hour of our death.

I’ve mentioned before that I used to be 6’9″ and have slowly shortened to just under 5′ over time.  Thus, my height has diminished, but my girth has increased.  However, I have not lost my ability to exaggerate. My wrinkles have turned into crevices and craters.  I’ve hair in places I’ve never had it and a lack of it in others. My eyesight is beginning to fail.  My ears have long ago bit the dust.  My skin is not longer elastic, but it bruises easily and every scar I’ve earned over time, is more apparent now.  I take naps.  I put off housekeeping, even though my house is half the size it used to be.  The freckles I used to long for have turned into liver spots.  I walk slower and drag my feet. I am proud to say that I have all my own original parts – which isn’t really saying much.

Aging is a process that demonstrates our need for salvation.  The closer we get to death, the more that becomes apparent.  We see how decay and physical deterioration have taken over our bodies and minds.  Memory slips to vivid pictures from way back, but you can’t remember why you were going to another room.

Our perception of growing old takes on a different meaning as we age. To a young child, someone in their 20s is old. We spend childhood waiting to become teens and our adolescence is inches away from adulthood.  When you become and adult, you can’t wait to retire.  Your kids tell you to keep busy, but at the same time they tell you to slow down. Usually, the thoughts of aging should indicate something good – like fine wine or aged cheese. Fine wine gets better with age, but old cheese turns moldy.

Still God has given me these elderly years to get to know Him better and to rely on Him in every situation. It will take time to come to complete maturity, but we can be sure that God has a plan for us. We can count on the future with Him in heaven. In the meantime, I will thank Him for every additional day He allows me.

THANK YOU, JESUS, FOR ANOTHER DAY!