Ageless Light

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As one ages, there are benefits and drawbacks. Of course, one of the minuses is that bodies don’t look or work like they used to. Aging author Patsy Clairmont said younger friend Anita Renfro saw a bumper sticker on an old jalopy. She recommended that Patsy have a T-shirt made up with the same slogan: Honk if any parts fall off.

Art Linkletter, a TV host from yesteryears, said he asked a 100 year old woman the greatest advantage of aging. Her answer, “Not as much peer pressure.”

For me, one of the pluses of aging is longtime relationships with God and friends, folks who have known God a long time. If the ages were added together from the super senior Bible class I attend, there’d be several thousand years of wisdom and rubbing shoulders with God.

Pat S., a longtime friend (take notice, I didn’t say “old” friend) and I chatted about a favorite scripture of hers from Psalm 18. David wrote, “You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great” (35).

This Psalm with 50 verses is full of David’s glimpses of God. A notation about the Psalm tells that David sang the 50 stanza praise to God whenever God rescued him from his enemies. The first words in the song, “I love you, O LORD, my strength.”

Throughout the psalm, David’s timbre reflects God’s protection. God is referred to in metaphorical terms as a shield and stronghold, and he is portrayed as parting the heavens, coming down, and holding his children steady so that “ankles do not turn” (36).

David also depicts God as a designer of spacious places on earth—stretches of life, eases of mind without big stresses. I’ve been there—from oasis moments to days and weeks when peace reigns.

I aged numerically this week. When my dad phoned on my birthday, he reminded me that the hospital and doctor bill to get me into the world was only $90.00. I guess that pretty well dates me. I am antiquish.

Age drove over and left tread marks, and I’ve learned a few things. Crows feet don’t hurt. Spandex is good for saggy parts. Longtime friends are good for sagging spirits. Prune juice isn’t all that bad, and temper tantrums can happen at any age.

In Psalm 18, David also acknowledged God as a personal light source. “You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning.” Even though I don’t feel old, the mirror reflects the truth. The foundation and façade just aren’t what they used to be. I really don’t mind this spacious place of growing older—just as long as God keeps stooping to earth, trimming the wick and shining through.