Every morning when I
crawl, and I mean “crawl” out of bed, I am reminded that I am getting older,
that, in fact, I am old even as I rebel against that thought and truth. Of
course, it is better than the alternative. But that is something else both to
think about and to give thanks for even as the bones creak and the muscles
refuse to relax. Once upon a time, and not too long ago at that, getting out of
bed was easy.
As we grow older, we
lose much of what we once had both physically and mentally. I can no longer do
well what I used to do well. The body simply will not allow it. There are also
some abilities I once had that are lost forever. I used to run. Okay, jog. I
can no longer do that now that I have two false hips. I cannot reach as high as
I once did as I have lost an inch or so as my body succumbs to the realities of
aging.
Mentally I am not as
sharp as I once was. I am not as quick to recall a name or even remember what I
had for breakfast. I want to attribute that not to approaching some form of
dementia but to the fact that my brain is like a computer that has no delete
function. It is simply getting fuller and fuller each day and, as a result, it
takes me longer to retrieve something from all that memory. Works for me!
Growing older means we
lose much of what we once had and even what we once were. Many people who are
retired seem to lose a sense of worth because they are no longer known for what
they did. They greet us with an “I used to be....” But we all used to be
something. But that does not mean that we are now nothing. Growing older simply
means finding out who we now are right now.
Mitch Albom in The Time Keeper puts the issue very
clearly. “We all yearn for what we have lost. But sometimes, we forget what we
have.” So true. We cannot get back what we have lost. It is lost. It is gone
forever. We live in a fantasy world if we believe we can get it back. There are
hucksters out there who are trying to sell us the illusion that we can be what
we once were. They have miracle cures and wonderful remedies and the latest equipment
to enable us to regain our lost youth or whatever it is that we seem to long
for and would like to have back.
But that is a waste of
time and certainly a waste of money if we go down that road. And while we are
wasting precious time in the present longing for or chasing after that which is
lost, as Albom reminds, we forget what we have. What we have is life even if
that life is a little slower, bringing with it sore muscles and a different
physical shape that we once worked so hard to attain but which is now gone with
the wind.
What is important as we
grow older, or at any stage of life, is to be aware of what we have right now: those
many God-given gifts. And they are many. As I sit at the edge of my bed,
dealing with the muscles rebelling against what I want to do next, namely stand
up, I need to be thankful that I can stand, that I have a wonderful family who
love me and that I am getting up precisely to use those God-given gifts and
talents that still remain to see, seek and serve the Jesus I meet in everyone
who crosses my path today.
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