Aging Gracefully

Is it possible to age gracefully? What does that even mean?

Facebook is great about reminding me of friends’ upcoming birthdays. And yesterday, one friend posted about her eldest daughter’s 17^th birthday. Seventeen? I first met her when she was six. As I’ve watched her grow, she is aging not just gracefully but biblically, too.

Can the same be said about me? About you?

I’ve known people who have modeled what it is to not age with grace. Many had health issues and painful life experiences. They responded by growing increasingly cranky and unhappy with each passing year.

I’ve also had some wonderful role models who exemplified how to age biblically with grace. People who determined their circumstances would not drag them down. Instead, they kept looking up. Up toward heaven. Toward their Savior. Toward the gift of each new day, despite their difficulties. And I hope I’ve learned something from each of them.

The pages of the Bible are also filled with positive role models—people who aged gracefully. Here are 6 people I want to be like when I “grow up”!

Enoch

Enoch’s secret to aging gracefully was to “walk with God” (Genesis 5:22, 24). I love the word picture of walking with God. To walk with someone means you don’t run ahead and you don’t lag behind. That’s how I want to live: walking with God.

Moses

Age is not an obstacle to God’s call on our life. Moses was 80 years old when God called him to lead ancient Israel out of Egyptian slavery. What an encouragement it is to know that regardless of what the calendar says, God can still use me. We also read that Moses was more humble than anyone else (Numbers 12:3). Hmmm…availability and humility: a combination I need to cultivate!

Caleb

Caleb was one of the 12 spies sent by Moses to spy out the promised land and bring back a report. He stood with Joshua when the other 10 spies sowed seeds of doubt among the people. Forty-five years later, at the mature age of 85, Caleb requested a portion of the land that would be especially difficult to conquer—a land of “fortified cities” (Joshua 14:12). He was successful because he “followed the Lord God of Israel fully” (Joshua 14:14). Someone willing to stand against the crowd who follows God fully: that’s who I want to grow up to be!

Elizabeth

Elizabeth was the wife of a priest. She was unable to conceive, a disgrace among women at that time. But despite her disappointment and her advanced age (Luke 1:6-7), she was described as righteous in God’s sight. And God chose her to be the mother of the one who would herald the coming of Christ. What a woman! I want to age gracefully like Elizabeth—someone who trusts God despite the disappointments of life.

Simeon

Although we’re not told Simeon’s age, it appears he was an older man. We can conclude this because the Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he would not die before he had seen the Christ (Luke 2:26). He was then content to leave this life, having seen the One who had been promised. I very much want to be like Simeon. Someone who is sensitive to the prompting of the Holy Spirit and follows His leading.

Anna

At 84 years old, Anna had been widowed for an estimated 60+ years. She spent her life serving and worshipping at the Temple “night and day” with fasting and prayer. When she heard Simeon’s pronouncement, she thanked God and spread the word to all who would listen that the Messiah had been born (Luke 2:38). I want to be like Anna as I age: someone who lives to serve and worship. Someone who lives with an attitude of gratitude. And someone who can’t stop talking about Jesus.

As the calendar pages turn and birthdays come and go, who are your role models for aging gracefully?