The Older I Get (8/22/2023)

When I was 10, I couldn’t wait to grow older. Now that I’m 73, I am willing to admit that patience is a virtue. The older I get, the more life changes. The older I get, the more unscheduled naps I take. The older I get, the longer it takes me to do things. The older I get, the more my memories mean to mean and the more the people in those memories mean to me. The older I get, the more I pray.

The older I get the more I realize two essential truths: everywhere and always my LORD is there; I cannot do this without my LORD because I wasn’t meant to do this without my LORD.

The older I get, the more I talk to my all-loving and all-present LORD. Together we react to what I encounter, together we ponder what it is I face, together we figure out my next move, together I believe in miracles. I begin every day in humble and loving conversation with my LORD. Throughout the day, I speak out loud to my LORD because I know He is there. Before I sleep, I give thanks for what has been and seek the LORD’s blessings for those I know need grace, love, and miracles. I can’t imagine what life would be like without the LORD always at my side.

The older I get, the more I realize that without the LORD I will never be the me that I was created to be. The older I get, the more I recognize the need for the LORD’s help in my endeavors. The older I get, the more I accept the need to discern and embrace the LORD’s will for me and for others. The older I get, the more I appreciate what the LORD has done and await with hope what the LORD will do.

The older I get, the more I pray for others. The older I get, the more I pray for others when they share their needs; I pray with them rather than just saying I will pray for them later. The older I get, the more I pray with others recognizing the power of two or more gathered in His name.

So, if you see me seemingly speaking to an invisible being in the aisles of the grocery store, don’t be alarmed. Or if you see me sitting on a city bench seemingly speaking to myself, know that I’m okay. It’s just me praying – talking with my LORD.

Be prepared. You may find, as I have, that the older you get, the more you pray.

Until tomorrow, let us all love well.