Oh no! I'm Growing Older!!

I turned 39 this year. Last year when 38 came around, I cried a little. This year didn't hit me hard like last year, but I wonder what 40 will do to me. Are you like me and in the past couple of years you have noticed your body start to go through the aging process? Hormones causing all kinds of changes: hair, nails, teeth, menstrual cycle, weight, wrinkles, skin spots, etc., etc., etc. Wow!

Sometimes I look in the mirror and wonder where did that 20 year old go? I'm not a vain person; most days I go without makeup and don't worry about curling my hair. I usually don't care on a daily basis if I'm wearing earrings, or if I'm wearing a t-shirt instead of something fashionable. The Bible says that beauty will fade and that it is a person who respects the Lord that is worthy of praise (Proverbs 31:30). I agree, so why then is aging starting to affect me?

I think it's because I realize I'm at middle age (most people I know live to be around 80) and there is still so much in life I want to do. Do you remember as a youngster thinking time took f-o-r-e-v-e-r to reach 18? Now at my age I understand that time really does fly! I have a 9 and 6 year old and I'm wondering how did that happen so quickly? I'm sure my parents are thinking I have a 39 year old and are wondering how that happened so quickly.

So, what do I need to do to help me get past this? I don't know!! No, really, if I need to cry a little that's okay. God wants to hear my anxieties, fears, sadness, etc. He doesn't mind if I cry to him about growing old. If you are a person who doesn't really know God, or has some misconceptions about Him, I am here to let you know that you can go to God with ANYTHING. What I can't let growing older do to me is put me into a depression mode. I need to focus on what's good about growing older: wisdom, maturity, more beauty on the inside, guiding my kids into adulthood, hopefully grandkids, mentoring younger people, and more! Also, I'm that much closer to being home: heaven is my final destination. I'll have a brand new body and I'll be able to do things in heaven that I always wanted to do on earth but never got to (I recommend reading the book Heaven by Randy Alcorn). Moreover, I need to try to go through this ageing process with joy in my heart and a smile on my face, but give myself some grace to have a pity party day once in a while. I'll just blame it all on the changing, ageing hormones!