February 13
Fifties (and Onward)
Gray hair is a crown of splendor;
it is attained in the way of righteousness. ––Proverbs 16:31
At the halfway point in life, I have observed that men tend to head in one of two directions: They succumb to the cynicism of life and become negative and judgmental; or, they experience spiritual enlightenment, where what God has for them is of greater value than what they have for God. Bitterness is a choice, not a condition. Humility descends on men who so fully realize how loved they are that they no longer need to prove how loveable they are.
Here are a handful of characteristics that I see vibrant , older spiritual men embrace:
- God’s truth over our own. There’s a slow, steady realization that one’s value isn’t based on what they know, but on what God reveals to them as His truth.
- Spiritual guidance over the world’s rules. An understanding that mentors and spiritual elders are more important than the world’s advice.
- Letting go of that which we don’t understand vs holding on and pretending to know more than we do. A lifetime of fact-gathering and experience is a highly valuable thing, but it’s much more valuable when it’s surrendered to God for Him to use, versus hoarding it for ourselves or wielding it so we can maintain control.
- Sitting with God in the dark times rather than running from them. When we go through “the dark night of the soul,” God wants us to remain in that pain so He can use it to transform us into the image of Christ. There’s no need to run from pain when we understand that it’s the material God uses to transform us. That’s not wallowing—it’s allowing God to use the painful experience to mature us in Christ.
- Exchanging an obsession for structure and reason for wisdom amidst uncertainty. We see through a glass darkly, and while knowledge acquisition is important, God wants us to acknowledge the ambiguity and surrender the things we don’t understand.
- Painful yet purposeful redefinition of “victory” and “success.” Victory moves from being transactional to relational. We understand that true success is found in connection, friendship, and covenant relationship, rather than in the world’s binary win/lose exchange system.
- Moving from participation in prayer to becoming a person who needs prayer. When prayer is understood simply as listening to and talking with God, rather than a duty to be performed, our conversation with God becomes a lifeline rather than a byline.
No matter your age, man of God, you are gifted with the ability to choose what your day will look like. And yes, bad stuff will inevitably happen. But as you appropriate your position as a child of God above your condition as an aging man in a fallen world, the spiritual gears will shift and previously unseen doors will slide open to reveal unexpected, abiding glory.
Lord, help me prepare now for the later years of my life by helping me to surrender to all You have for me—through the bad times and the good. I want to a be fool for you, rather than simply a bitter old fool.