"Never grow old, we'll never grow old"

The words for this old hymn go to to explain that we are going to a "land" where we will never grow old, obviously referring to Heaven. But, what about aging while we are still residents of the earth? Many scripture references speak of our outer man dying and (physical) corruption.

Several years ago I was traveling with a senior church leader and the subject of aging came up. He (now deceased) quipped that he wasn't getting older. Then he went on to explain that our spirit does not age. It was a refreshing thought! Perhaps if we spend more time in the Word of God basking in His Presence and Walking more in the Spirit we may act, talk and think much younger than our chronological or biological age.

Recently, I have been very engaged in Japanese/English translation and proof reading. It is amazing to me how much my sixty plus year old mind can still process and retain in respect to at least, three of the languages I have learned over my lifetime. Some worry about memory loss and spend a lot of time talking about the subject, even making a lot of jokes about "losing their mind". I am a little cautious about joking in this area. I have made too many visits, as a pastor, to nursing homes and seen those who have lost their memories, no longer clearly aware of their surrounding not even able to recognize close family members who come to visit them.

There is a Japanese expression (石の頭) which roughly translates to "stone head" in respect to not being able to learn something new. I have repented over that negative confession I used to make over myself. It was an excuse for struggling to learn the Japanese language. Now I am much more positive about Japanese and in a more advanced age I am finding myself able to learn and utilize both oral and written Japanese better then 20 years ago.

Someone once said, "when one stops learning, they begin dying"! There is so much to learn in life. I am thankful for the health and strength to rise in the morning and be able to put in a full day of work at the age of 70+. How about you? The scripture says, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us! There is no mention of age in this verse. I claim the promises of Psalms 92:14 "They shall still bring forth fruit in old age and be fat and flourishing..." In fact, I am fulfilling this scripture in the very literal sense, both bringing forth fruit and being fat and flourishing. Seriously, one New Years resolution is safe and sensible weight loss.

Thanks for taking time to stop and read these thoughts. As believers in Christ, we are preparing and looking forward to Heaven and that definitely is a place where no one will ever grow old.

God bless you as you walk daily in His Spirit, Love and Power!

Dan Corbett
"Reaching One Among Millions"