Starting in 2013, I’ll be writing Adventuring with God in a new way. It’ll be shorter and more personal; less doctrinal and more relational in focus. While I’ve enjoyed the more formal approach (reminiscent of late 19^th and early 20^th century Christian writing), I recognize it’s not very appealing to most Christians today. And so I am willing, with God’s help, to try another way of communicating to you, my readers.

The Word of God will still be the basis for my devotional themes, but I will use it in a more concise, targeted way. One person (very kindly) told me that she had a hard time digesting all the doctrinal and biblical information that I packed into my monthly devotionals. I can understand that. My tendency is to want to thoroughly explore a topic and apply as much of God’s wisdom to the subject as I can, in the space I have to work with. I like the focus to be on God and not on me.

However, I know that biblical commentaries are abundantly available to us in North America (where most of my readers come from). They are in most cases written by men and women more knowledgeable than I am. So, I’ve asked myself: What are most people looking for when they read a blog or devotional piece by someone who’s not a Bible scholar? It’s not to acquire biblical knowledge as much as to find out how biblical truth has impacted the writer. They ask: How has it made a difference in your life, and what can you share with me that I might find helpful in my own walk with the Lord?

With that in mind, I’ve decided I’ll try to explore biblical concepts in a more personal way. Instead of presenting only definitive themes not open to dispute, I’ll also explore some biblical concepts I’m still in the process of sorting out. Maybe in time I’ll become more comfortable with sharing my feelings and experiences with God without worrying that I’m becoming the focus of the devotional.

I have no idea how this will look or even if I can do it. But I feel led by the Spirit of God to give it a try. So here I go … seeking to write with more punch and less passivity, with more questions and personal convictions than pat answers. Please be patient as I learn. I’ll try to give you something each  month that will help you apply biblical principles to your everyday life.

Well, that’s enough of an introduction I think. I’d like to discuss, in the space I have left, something I’ve been struggling with lately … growing older. What does the Bible say about this, and how can we handle the process of aging in a godly manner?

Our culture fights against this process with every kind of ammunition it can find. We botox, exercise, undergo facelifts and tummy tucks, and avoid the sensible shoe stores unless we suffer (as I do) with bunions. We dress as young as dare to, attend classes to improve our minds, and avoid activities that label us as “seniors.” We love to hear that sixty is the new forty; we think maybe we’ll be able to avoid some of the aging problems our parents and grandparents had to face. It’s a seductive society we live in. It’s hard not to adopt its attitudes and approach the process of aging with dread and sadness.

How much easier it would be to live in a culture where older people are valued and respected, sought out for counsel, and esteemed because of their gray hair and wrinkles, not in spite of them. But most of us don’t live in the East, so we have to battle our way to a biblical view of growing old in the midst of a very different mindset.

Written out of mainly eastern cultures, the Bible does not see aging as something to be avoided at all costs. The biblical assumption is that people who grow old serving God will be full of faith, spiritual fruit, and firsthand knowledge of His faithfulness – all valuable assets to the people around them. Proverbs 16:32 says “The [gray] head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness.” Sure, our bodily appearance may not be as attractive as it was when we were in our thirties, but we can possess as older Christians something far more valuable: a more intimate relationship with our Lord and Savior.

The apostle Paul encouraged the Corinthian believers about their fragile and aging bodies of clay: “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16). This is the silver lining of getting older – our “momentary troubles” can work out in us great spiritual benefits. It’s our choice whether we will become better or bitter with the changes that aging brings; whether we embrace the changes with faith in the One who said He’d never leave us or forsake us, or begin to grumble and complain that things are not to our liking.

I don’t know about you, but this is a struggle for me some days. I look back longingly to the days when I could walk for miles if I wanted to, could hear perfectly, and looked pretty good in a pair of jeans. Now I look at my gray hair in the mirror and wonder, “Who is that older woman? When did she take up residence in our house?” Then I remember. “Oh, yeah, this is what came in after I lost all my hair to chemo three years ago. God brought me faithfully through that ordeal and I vowed then that I would cherish and embrace whatever kind of hair came in after chemo – straight or curly, gray, white, or some shade of brown, thin or thick.” What I had lost became a blessing when it reappeared, even in a different form. I no longer took it for granted.

Perhaps this is the key to growing old gracefully. Being grateful for what we have and not obsessing over what we’ve lost. Whether we’re in our forties, fifties, sixties, or beyond, we have a tremendous treasure in our jars of clay. And the frailties of our bodies highlight that “this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us” (4:7).

As we grow in grace and mature in our relationship with God, we can become a tremendous encouragement and inspiration for those who are coming up behind us. How we handle the changes of aging will either bring glory to God or reveal how much we’ve let our society dictate our attitudes about it. What we are on the inside is what will last, all the way into eternity. All the other stuff is just so much packaging.

So I pray we’ll watch our hearts and keep our eyes fixed firmly upon Jesus as we navigate the difficult process of growing older. Each passing decade brings new challenges, that’s for sure. But whether we live or die tomorrow, whether we experience health and vigor or pain and illness, we have a treasure within us that far exceeds in glory anything the world can give us.

“We live by faith” Paul said, “not by sight.” Either way – in our aging body here on earth, or in our new body in heaven – we know our relationship with God is secure. So, in light of that, Paul continues, “we make it our goal to please Him” (vv. 7-9) … in whatever circumstances we find ourselves.

I hope you’ll read the whole chapter of 2 Corinthians 4. It’s tremendously helpful in reorienting our attitudes towards growing older in our “jars of clay.” If you’re struggling (as I do some days) with the changes and disappointments that life inevitably brings, remember the treasure within your aging body. Be grateful for all you’ve been given and don’t spend too much time mourning what you’ve lost (some mourning is normal, of course). Focus on pleasing Him and everything else will take care of itself. I’m learning … slowly.

A question to ponder: Are we more or less useful to God when we’re in the prime of our life physically?