Aging has value in the hands of God.

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

“Now that I am old and gray, do not abandon me, O God.
Let me proclaim your power to this new generation,
your mighty miracles to all who come after me.”
Psalm 71:18 New Living Translation

So, what comes with age?

• Less sleep
• Sore muscles
• Age spots
• Wrinkles…wrinkles…and more wrinkles
• Less hair and more hair (if you’re a man in your 50’s you know what I’m talking about.)

Beuna Vista, Colorado

When I was young I thought of aging more like a stately old Douglas Fir tree. Douglas Fir trees grow straight and tall. They don’t bend to the right or to the left, but they keep reaching for the sky. Not for this deciduous tree. It has no distinct direction. It’s growing right and left, towards the creek and away from it. It heads up, out and down. This deciduous tree is a better picture of the aging process for me.

Yet, this tree still has a purpose. It still takes in carbon monoxide and breathes out oxygen. It still gives shade in the summer and acts as a wind break in the winter. There is an aesthetic value to this tree. Its bark pictures its struggles. Its branches reveal its character.

The composer of Psalm 71 was aging and struggling with those who acted cruelly. In his aging he still embraced his value to tell others of God’s unfailing love. Though he has grown older and people do not respect him, he will continue to trust in God who has saved him.

There is value in the aging process when we see that God isn’t finished with us yet.

Text and Picture Copyright Douglas P Brauner