All I have to do is take a look in any mirror to see the chronology of changes that have taken place in my physical life. The gray hair is more abundant than ever, and the hair is thinning. What happened to that thick, luxurious hair I once had? And that dewy skin? The wrinkles are beginning to take up residence there and have changed the surface quality of my face, arms, legs, and other body parts. We won't begin to talk about sagging -- it's too embarassing!
And then there are those stiff joints and sore places that I wake up with in the morning. The long walks we used to take aren't so easy any more, and I haven't been on my new bike (it's 2 years old now!) since I got it. I also see the changes in my husband both physically and emotionally. As his siblings age (he's the youngest of six), he takes on more of the caring role and it's not easy for him. But we both know we're not that young any more. After all, the grown kids are now calling to see if they need to come over and "help" us get things done! OK, we're not that old yet!!!
But these are only a few of the changes that have come about in life. These are the physical ones, the ones I can see. There are other more important, more impactful changes -- like the growth in my marriage of 30 years, the joy of grandparenting and now great-grandparenting, the love of having time in retirement to volunteer more in community and church, the ease with which Bob and I share morning devotional and prayer and reading the Bible.
My willingness to stand in front of a group and share my witness is something that 20 years ago I would have never believed I would do. Now, I take great joy in sharing God's love with young moms, young marrieds, anyone who will listen willingly. And writing -- it has come to me later in life than most who will read this and I love putting words to "paper" and enjoy thinking about what I will write today. Then, what will I do with it next? The anticipation of possibly appearing on someone else's blog, in an article for an online magazine, or in an actual printed publication excites me. I want to write my memoir, and I'm trying day by day to accomplish this. Yet, I feel the pull and tug of God to do more writing, perhaps devotional writing or maybe even a novel with Christian principles throughout.
So, you see change never ends. It is a lifelong process. One that God plans so far ahead we can't anticipate the changes. I like to think of the changes, both physical and otherwise, as God's marks on my life, the places where He has touched me for some reason and left His hand print. In that sense, change isn't so bad, is it?
Yahoo! Change isn't so bad, it's even wonderful. I love that at times we have to let go of one thing to embrace another, our hands can only hold so much blessing. I think our youth is a fair exchange for such victory in our souls! Thank you for sharing wise words!
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