To all the women out there aging gracefully or wishing they could- this is for you.
I turned 62 a couple of weeks ago and was not sure how I felt about that. Maybe it’s because everyone around all of a sudden seems younger... maybe it’s that I seem to hear more and more derogatory comments about the elderly ... maybe it’s the lack of respect from a generation who could really prosper from wisdom from the ‘old people’... maybe it’s because we are bombarded by social media of every kind that women are vain about appearance in this age of selfies and artificial everything.
I admit I do feel a slowing down and with age come health issues I never had to worry about. I see the small laugh lines (when I’m not laughing) and the spots that aren’t fading.
But with all those doubts and worries, I am also reminded that God made me (and you) special. Special qualities not given to a man. A woman’s tenderness, a woman’s intuition, a need to help ‘fix’ things in her family by encouragement and hugs.
I am reminded that some of Jesus’ closest disciples were women, and the good works of them are written throughout the scriptures. Women of faithful loving service and showing hospitality to friends and strangers to name a few. Just bringing up children, then and now, is a special feat!
In Titus 2:4 it commands older women to train younger women in Christian living. And I do, with God’s help, try to be a worthy example in his eyes.
So as I read more and more , the Lord reminds me that I have value and worth as I am growing older. Knowledge and wisdom through hardships that I can pass to others younger for this season of my life and maybe some personal experiences to help someone like those shared with me by older women I admired.
So as I ponder big things and little, like how to keep the ‘natural’ grey from announcing itself to the world, I see also that in Proverbs 16 it says “Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life”.
So, I will work on that one and try to be a righteous woman who doesn’t mind her grey!
God bless you today. You are special!
Denise Glenn