HOW OLD IS YOUR ‘INNER YOU’?
“ 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 (NIV)
Frequently, when I ask my fellow-seniors, “How are things going?” I am greeted with a variety of laments about aches or pains, ungrateful offspring, or sometimes a long soliloquy about governmental failures. Seldom does their list contain happy events. Sometimes after listening to their complaints even I begin to feel a bit depressed; but that is only a momentary reaction as I agree with Paul’s message in 2 Corinthians 4:16 wherein he tells us to accept the waning of our physical bodies as a natural process and to concentrate on our inner growth.
It is important to keep in mind there is andinner you’: your character, spirit and soul. The outer you is what everybody sees whether we like it or not but the inner you is invisible to other until we choose to show it. The outer you is temporary but the inner you is eternal. Whether we like it or not our outer bodies are deteriorating but the health of our inner bodies is a matter of our choice. Your inner body can become something unbelievably alive or just wither away from the lack of stimulation.
Our retirement can become a time in which we choose to lament or to grow. How each of us use our newly found freedom is a matter for us to decide. Our pre-retirement dreams of traveling, taking up a new hobby and/or reading some long neglected books are all possibilities for us to choose.
Our culture seems to
currently glamorize youth and the older generation is often regarded as a
bothersome nonessential collection of those waiting for their lives to
end. Scripture does not support that
mindset. Frequently, the patriarchs of
the Old Testament were of advanced years before they began their
ministries. The Psalmist declared in Psalm
71:18 (NKJV)
“Now
when I am old and gray headed,
O God, do not forsake me, until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to
everyone who is to come.”
It is up to each of us. If one can
breathe, pray. If one can speak, encourage
others. If one can recall, share one’s
wisdom. Remember the account of
creation? We saw what our God could do
in just one day. So what might happen
if each of us gave Him our days as long as we have life? Not only would the inner you would be
enhanced but also our present surroundings and just think of the potential of
having a lasting impact on the generations yet to come. So how old is your ‘inner you’? Is it younger or older than the outer you?