.....older

The story is told of a little girl who went to visit her great-grandmother. The elderly lady had hair that was white. Her face was covered with wrinkles. As the little girl looked at her, she asked, "Grandma, are you an old lady?" With a twinkle in her eyes, her great-grandmother said, "No, honey, not exactly. But I must say I've been young for a mighty long time."

Old age is a strange thing. Very few of us actually think of ourselves as being old. As one 85-year-old man (Bernard Baruch) put it, "To me, old age is always fifteen years older than I am." And that's about right. When I was a teenager, anyone who was 40 years old seemed ancient. But when I reached the age of 40, I didn't feel like an old man. But those people in their mid-50's sure were old. Now as I have passed the age of 50 myself, those folks are looking younger and younger all the time!

But, whether we want to or not, whether it's something we look forward to or something we dread, every single one of us is getting older. There's no getting around that fact. Every time the sun rises and every time the sun sets -- even every chime on the grandfather clock -- serves to constantly remind us that we're all growing older. We're older today than we were yesterday and tomorrow, if the Lord sees fit to bless us, we will be older still.

According to statistics, we live in a society that's rapidly growing older and older. In the USA, in 1900, the average life-span was only 47 years. Right now, the life-span of an average American is about 75 years of age. And it is expected that within a few decades, as the "baby boomers" get older, the life expectancy for males will be 86 years and for females will be 92.

David said in Psalm 90:10, "The days of our lives are seventy years; and if by reason of strength they are eighty years, yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away."

You would think that most people would be excited about the prospect of living longer, but sadly, that's not the case. A lot of people are afraid of getting old. Even David expressed this fear when he prayed to God, "Do not cast me off in the time of old age; Do not forsake me when my strength fails....Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare your strength to this generation, your power to everyone who is to come." (Psalm 71:9,18).

I think Jonathan Swift was right when he said, "Every man desires to live long, but no man wants to be old." There are a couple of reasons for that. 

-alan smith