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."

These are just a few thoughts that can tend to be in the back of our minds but ultimately drive our behavior. A birthday can be the most depressing day of the year to an ambitious person who wanted to do something monumental in life - and they wanted to do it yesterday!

On my birthday, I want to encourage you with these words:

• Your best days are ahead of you! - Job 8:7
• The older and the younger are equally necessary for the end time move of God! Everyone has a purpose. No one is left out! - Acts 2:16-17 
• As you continue to meditate in the law of God, you will be fruitful at the perfect time! - Psalms 1:2-3
• Every day that God blesses you with is another day that He is sending goodness and mercy to hunt you down and overtake you. - Psalms 23:6
• Even though we may have wasted time in sin, God longs to forgive you and restore everything that you've lost - including time. - Joel 2:15-19, 25-26

I'm 32! Sometimes I do get thoughts in my head telling me, "Jarrell, you should be so much further along in life." I have to remember that the enemy is trying to feed me a cultural lie. It's a lie that is sold to a microwave generation with no hope and no vision for anything after the age of 21. If you've ever been tempted to buy into that lie, rely on the promises of God. He has a plans to prosper you and to give you a hope and a future.

Thanks for reading,

Jarrell

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