Grow Up, Not Old - Tuesday's Treasure

On my bucket list from a few years ago was this goal: Understand God's view of aging and revel in it. I admit it. That's a tough assignment when our culture idolizes youth with every commercial, movie, television program, magazine. Our culture is not kind to aging women. We hear more and more of how fifty is the new forty and sixty is the new fifty. What in the world does that mean? Skin care advertisers claim that their products get rid of wrinkles, spots, and puffiness (make sure you read the fine print before you plop down your credit card). I have a friend who told me that Preparation H is perfect for getting rid of puffy eyes....hmmmm.

In spite of my drawer full of creams and ointments, every day I can sing, "Morning by morning new wrinkles I see" to the tune of Great is Thy Faithfulness.

And how about those toned bodies on older women that are held up as attainable goals....come on, girls. How many hours a day are these women spending with a personal trainer? And I really want to know about the air brushing of the pictures.

True Confession: Just to make myself feel better, I'll scan pictures on the internet of stars caught without makeup (and I'll bet women a lot younger than me do the same). The before and after pictures are startling, even of younger women whose physical beauty is often breath-taking after their stylists and make up artists finish their work. Most stars stripped of make up look like any woman in the grocery store or herding her children into the car after a full day of shopping or running errands. In other words:  Normal. (A make up artist told me she was so startled by the difference that she wondered if the "before pictures" were air brushed to make the women look worse!  She couldn't believe the transformation was that dramatic.)

The same media and culture idolizes physical beauty and youth. How many times do we see pictures of aging women with the headline, "She Doesn't Look Bad for Sixty!" Or "Seventy" or even "Eighty!" Such comments reveal the stigma of growing older - not bad for growing older?  And yet, we carefully scrutinize the woman's face, her eyes, hair, complexion and body and compare. How do we measure up? We wonder, would a long lost friend truthfully exclaim, "You look great! You haven't aged a bit!"  And her words are true?

Then reality sets in with the next picture of the same older star without her makeup and no smile. And we think, "If she can't stop the evidence of aging with all of her money and resources how can I with my over the counter wrinkle reducing creams and ointments guaranteed to get rid of the bags under my eyes? It's hopeless!"

And so, the search begins. God's Word tells us that aging in His eyes is beautiful. That gray hair represents the beauty of a well-lived life and reflects wisdom. And He calls on us to be ever growing, ever green.

What does that mean? And is it an attainable goal?  Can we choose to grow up rather than grow old?

Over the next few weeks I'll share some of my thoughts on this season of life. I'd love to hear your thoughts as well.

In His Grip,
Sharon