Age Before Beauty

"Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained by living a godly life." Proverbs 16:31

If you're anything like me, you've looked in the mirror lately and discovered we aren't getting any younger.  Juan Ponce de Leon never did discover that fountain of youth he was looking for, and try as we might with diet, exercise, creams, and hair color, those wrinkles and droops continue to appear.  It's the temporary tent to which 2 Corinthians 5:1 refers.

I'm glad it's only temporary.

God's saving the good stuff, the eternal body, for Heaven.  But, since we're still here on earth, we have to deal with the whole time thing . . . minutes, hours, days, years . . . years.  The years seem to pass by faster and faster.

Don't they?

Recently, I was having a conversation with my dad about just that.  He's experienced quite a bit of discouragement lately because people consider him washed up or too old for things--a lot of things he's quite excellent at--simply due to his age, 86.

I think it has a lot to do with our culture--a culture devoid of God and gratitude.  It is a culture that doesn't understand or appreciate the wisdom and experience of the aged . . . that they still have so much value and so much wisdom to impart to us, if we will only allow it, embrace it, love the wrinkles and droops.

I wonder.

When was the last time you sat and looked deeply into a beautifully wrinkled and droopy face?  When was the last time you listened to their stories of yesteryear without rolling your eyes, and really cared about what they had to say?  When was the last time you asked yourself what God might be trying to teach you through their experiences?

Job 12:12-13 tells us, "Wisdom belongs to the aged, and understanding to the old.  But true wisdom and power are found in God; counsel and understanding are his."

I challenge you to seek out a Godly older person this week and spend some time with them, listening to them, reminding them that they are not forgotten, but are, in fact, extremely valuable, priceless.

Young or old, may we never forget that God has a purpose for every moment we have breath.

As Psalm 139:16 tells us, "Your eyes saw my unformed substance;in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.  And, Proverbs 16:4 says, "The Lord has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble."

Same Girl by Twila Paris

Goodnight, Runners.