Recently, I was entertaining my young grandkids at our house. Out of the blue, my 10-year-old granddaughter looked up at me and, with the sincerest of expressions on her face, asked “Grampa, what is it like to be old?”
I was caught off guard. How do you answer that question? Do you tell her that your hair turns gray? That parts of your body begin to wear out and fail? Do you explain that you begin to have trouble remembering things, that you spend what seems like half your life in doctor waiting rooms? That you have aches and pains where you didn’t even know you had places? That younger people start to lose respect for your viewpoints and opinions? That you worry if you have enough money to last until you pass on?
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Ugh! That paints a pretty bleak picture of old age. And that’s not my outlook on life.
So I chose to tell her that being old means you have this incredible catalog of wonderful memories to look back on and enjoy.
It means you have gotten so much smarter and gained much wisdom from your experiences. It means you finally have time to realize and enjoy the incredible blessings you have been given, like loving on grandkids, coming to know your children as adult peers, being able to travel and see the wonders of God’s awesome creation, diving into hobbies you’ve always wanted to explore.
How you finally have the opportunity to devote time to ministries, to serve others and bring them joy and comfort. Time to read and study God’s Word and get closer to Him.
The older you get, the closer you are to joining God in His heavenly Kingdom. After all, the Bible loves old people. Proverbs 16 states, “Gray hair is a crown of glory. It is gained in a righteous life.” In Job 12:12 you read, “Wisdom is with the aged, and understanding in length of days.”
“Wow!” my granddaughter replied. “I wish I was old!”
I smiled and told her that one day she would be, and that it would happen so much faster than she expects. But I also want her to know that, if you go through your journey trying your best to do the right things, and if you treat people with love and respect, life gets better every day.
EDITOR’S NOTE — Ken Lass is a retired Birmingham television news and sports anchor and an award-winning columnist for numerous publications and websites.
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