We know we’re getting older when we say things like,
“Can you believe how young those professional baseball players are?” And it’s a
sure sign of aging when we no longer ask, “How are you?” but say, “Hey, you
look terrific”—as if we’re surprised.
Aging is inevitable. Unfortunately, society has taught
us to fear advancing age and to disguise its reality as much as possible. But
aging can actually be a wonderful thing. Followers of Jesus have the capacity
to get significantly better with age. As Paul put it: “Even though our outward
man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day” (2 Cor. 4:16).
Just as there are physical signs that reveal we’re
getting older, there are signs that show we are getting better. Rather than
becoming more crotchety, intolerant, and unloving, the maturing follower of
Jesus grows better at forgiving, loving, and caring. Growing older is a
continuation of the journey to become more like Jesus, which means that as time
goes on our heart and attitudes should increasingly resonate with and reflect
the compelling character and winsome ways of our Savior.
So as we grow older, let’s embrace the opportunity to
become spiritually more like Jesus.
Our friends will notice that we look better with age.
RBC
