Revelation 21:5: And the one sitting on the throne said, "Look, I am making everything new!"
We are going to die.
That's what I said on Sunday to my best friend. Yeah, I can be cheery that way.
Surrounded that day by my children, their children, and the youngest generation at our church, I had cause to consider my years.
Aging isn't for sissy-Marys. Neither, however, is aging a curse, but a blessing. Growing older comes with challenges, but it's truly a joy, a gift, a boon:
- to live into a third chapter
- to watch the next generation grow, and even glimpse the next
- to know God into a fifth, sixth, even eighth decade
- to proclaim Him with zeal and greater confidence having witnessed years of His faithfulness.
But, day-to-day, it's no picnic.
The first time I injured my back simply by bending down to retrieve a paper clip, I realized I'd have to become a more creative storyteller—bending down to retrieve state secrets or to save a puppy from drowning in a stream, for instance, make a better face-saving tale.
Bodies have different needs over sixty and so do souls.
Our generation of believers was influenced by teaching on spiritual disciplines by writers like Richard Foster and Dallas Willard.
We are saved by grace alone. The good news of Jesus is what God has done for us, not what we do to impress God.
The spiritual disciplines help us stay open and available to God, growing up in our faith, and bent more toward Him than away.
Commonly understood as disciplines of the faith are Bible study, prayer, fasting, meditating on God's Word, simplicity, solitude, submission, service, confession, worship, guidance, and celebration.
Aspects of these disciplines become easier as we mature.
Many of us fall more naturally into simplicity. We have more time for prayer. More occasion for solitude.
By now, Bible study and meditating on God's Word should be daily second nature. Perhaps we've switched to the large print or rely more on audio versions.
Many of us continue to serve but we do so with modified energy or a closer focus to local ministry (although others appear to sprout wings in their third chapter, traveling to the ends of the earth).
Fasting requires new considerations.
Confessions are increasingly more related to internal sins of thought and attitude than wild behaviors — sins of omission outweigh those of commission.
There are alterations and modification that occur with these standard disciplines for mature believers,
but I've been thinking there are several disciplines we would be wise to add in these later years.
For instance, as we age, we generally have more opportunity for silence and solitude. It can be tempting to sink into that and begin to absent ourselves from community.
I believe a worthy discipline for our later years is Intentional Community. The discipline of showing up.
As embarrassing as this is to admit, coming from the "change" generation, it can also be tempting for us now to rest on our laurels and resist change.
Another worthy spiritual discipline for remaining open and flexible is the discipline to Embrace New Ways, People, and Experiences.
The older crowd can fade from others' view. Some of us handle that by embracing our invisibility. We intentionally sideline ourselves or become geriatric wallflowers at church.
The younger generation needs us whether they know it or not. And we need them.
Persistent Engagement is a powerful spiritual discipline as we continue to seek new learning, enter conversations, and ask kind, gentle questions to build relationships with younger people.
Too many of us fall prey to fear, anxiety, panic, and rumormongering as we enter our later years.
The discipline of Whatever is True can remind us to take every thought captive and nurture courage, calm, and prayer-centered thinking so we don't fret ourselves and our loved ones into a frenzy.
Additionally, we are now free of worrying what others think or falling prey to social convention. We are ideal candidates, then, for mentoring, discipleship, and evangelism.
The spiritual discipline of Bold Wisdom could hearten us to speak up, speak out, and proclaim truth with confident humility as we share the gospel with peers and guide upcoming generations at home and in the church.
Finally, to combat hardness, bitterness, unforgiveness, or general curmudgeonly spirits and to fight our inner pharisees, we must actively seek generous spirits and gentle hearts.
Ambassadors of Mercy is the discipline that would help us maintain these godly attitudes and prevent hardness of heart.
Over the next few posts, I want to explore each of these and offer them as Third Chapter Spiritual Disciplines.
Our generation has redefined so much of our culture, we're perfectly capable of redefining what it means to be the "older generation" in our churches. We can make that an aspirational term, not a frustrated sigh. Adapted from Lori Roeleveld Blog
Prayer: Father in heaven. You make all things new for me every day! New sunshine, new rain, new perspectives, new mercy. Thank you for giving me length in this journey. Thank you for building wisdom into this walk through life. Thank you for helping me to adjust to the changes that longevity is presenting and for helping me to stay in connection with You. I pray and give thanks in the name of the one who made it possible for me to understand that I needed spiritual discipline when He found me, is holding my hand as my life goes on and for making sure His comforter, keeper and counselor directs me as Your ambassador as I go forward, Jesus Christ, Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment