Old is the New Old

Old is the New Old

Today is my birthday!! I’m 32 today. Crazy!! Sometimes I can get so caught up in wishing time stood still that I miss the blessing of time spent here on earth.

Most people dread getting older. Even most Christians dread getting older (especially when those gray hairs start sprouting). And even though the bible says in Proverbs 16:31 that “Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained in the way of righteousness”, we generally dread every birthday. Why? Because we really don’t think of it as a crown of glory.

Our culture has a certain view of older people. Older people (affectionately called “old people”) are always seen as somewhat grumpy, disconnected from culture (especially technology), and pretty much useless. They’re generally associated with nothing decent except for love (if you can catch them in a good mood) and great cooking (if they can remember the ingredients to the recipe). Mix those two together and you’ve got the World’s Greatest Grandma! Outside of that, they’re generally seen as a burden on the rest of us. We have even crafted jokes specifically for older people. It’s really kind of ironic when you think about it. Because isn’t it generally the young among us who live like life is a joke? And yet we don’t have any jokes about how stupid young people can be! (Digressing lol!) But think about it. Why don’t you want to get older? Or better yet, why do you want to accomplish everything when you’re young? Let’s answer that! The answer to this question may reveal a few thoughts that we might never say out loud. So let me say a few of them for us…

• “Because you are in the prime of your life when you are young. Old people don’t have the the strength to do anything significant.”
• “Because you can’t fully enjoy the stuff you worked for when you’re old(er) can you? You only get to watch everyone else have fun – and be mad about it.”
• “Because everybody knows you’re supposed to be retired when you’re old.”