What’s so great about getting older? Have these words crossed your lips a time or two? Those reading this who are younger don’t understand. Go ahead and read it anyway. Tuck it away in your memory. You’ll know when to pull it out!
Those who identify with that question are probably still searching for the answer. Well, look no further! This devotional is going to be full of positives about getting a bit older.
Do you have migraines? I remember where I was the first time I got one and they are not fun. My suffering, though, is nothing compared to the suffering of others. I will get the occasional migraine while some get them every week. Research has shown, though, that the older you get, the frequency of migraines diminishes, even to the point where they are gone altogether. This is due to hormonal changes and reduced stress.
Another benefit of aging might surprise you. A study published in 2016 in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry found that older people are happier now than they were in their 20s.
Did you know that older people sweat less? If that is true, then I am NOT old because the heat and humidity of June and July has caused me to drench many a shirt just by walking outside. Now, this is a double-edged sword. It’s great that the older folks don’t sweat as much but the reason is that the older you get, the less collagen you possess, therefore, skin gets thin and sweat glands are pushed closer to the surface of the skin. While this might be a great feature in the summer, it makes it difficult in the winter and causes issues with regulating body temperature.
Have you been wishing that you could shed a few pounds? Do you notice that the waistline keeps growing along with your ears and nose (they really don’t grow; they just droop)? Well, something is getting smaller as you age. It’s your pupils. Try not to get overly excited. You won’t notice a difference when you step on the scales.
While the memory tends to fade for the older folks, their immunity memory works
exceptionally well. A lifetime of sicknesses has been fought by the body’s immune system. Evidently, our body keeps a repository of illnesses and what it did to fight them. When the germs start flying through the air, the elderly’s immunity memory kicks in and knows exactly what to do.
Finally, let’s talk about that gray hair. During our youth, many would use hydrogen peroxide to bleach their hair, turning it to a light blonde. As we age, our hair doesn’t turn gray or white. Instead, the pigmentation giving hair its color is produced in limited amounts – maybe not at all. “This occurs when hydrogen peroxide [naturally] builds up after wear-and-tear on the hair follicles. That blocks the normal synthesis of melanin, which is responsible for all shades of hair color.”1
What’s so great about getting old? Here are just a few things from the physical perspective to consider. Let’s think about what the Bible has to say from the spiritual perspective. Carefully think about these verses.
Job 12:12 With the ancient is wisdom; and in length of days understanding.
Proverbs 20:29 The glory of young men is their strength: and the beauty of old men is the gray head.
Psalms 37:25 I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.
Psalms 92:13-15 Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God. (14) They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing; (15) To shew that the LORD is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.
Isaiah 46:3-4 Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, which are borne by me from the belly, which are carried from the womb: (4) And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.
It sounds like there are a LOT of positives involved in getting older.
For our aging senior saints, I know it gets discouraging when you wake up with arthritis pains, have to rely on a cane or walker, can’t eat breakfast until you find your teeth, and have to get your hearing aids in before you can answer the phone. But, I hope that you will see some of the good that accompanies these “golden” years. And, until the Lord calls you home, wake up every day with a Psalm 71:9, 18 mindset.
“Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth…(18) Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come.”
1https://interestingfacts.com/growing-older-facts-2/?lctg=4a7703f0-def0-4375-a1f5-3e12e2b116d2
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