More Than a Body
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. (John 10:10)
In my 60s, I am becoming more sensitive to people making fun of older people. I laughed at the "old people" in the movie Christmas Vacation when I was younger. The movie made fun of the grandparents' shortcomings, such as their inability to hear or fall asleep after dinner in their chairs. These older adults were a burden younger family members endured once or twice yearly, not individuals with experience, love, and interests. Yet, I will say that Chevy Chase's character's mother-in-law was a piece of work!
Sadly, in our youth-centric culture, those of us in the third or fourth quarter of life take on the shame and diminishment of older age. Then, I read the article "Our Beliefs About Getting Older Are All Wrong." Don Johnson's wisdom spoke to my heart and mind. Johnson states emphatically, "My body is getting older, but I'm not my body-I'm just living in it." If you are as old as your body, I've been an old man all my adult life. I broke my back and went through paralysis when I was 21 years old. The surgeon told me I needed to treat my back like an 80-year-old does their spine. At such a young age, I already needed to think about how to live meaningfully with limitations.
As we get older, limitations increase. Old people stop adjusting and give up. You can be an old person at 21 or 101 years old. You get old when you stop trying to live meaningfully. The key is to ask yourself, each time something is taken away, "What do I still have," and "What new do I want to try?" Johnson encourages us when he states, "The inner game affects the outer game." The way you play the game will evolve, but you should not permit yourself to stop playing.
God gave you the gift of life. We are called to cherish our God-given life by making the most of our lives. With age comes new limitations, but until everything is taken away and we take our last breath, God calls us to keep moving forward with determination. We mourn our losses by celebrating what we used to do and then asking God and ourselves, "What's next?" When one call ends, God provides another. Your next call might be even more meaningful than the one you can no longer do!