The bloom of youth is a lovely thing to see but what about when it begins to fade? All living beings are touched by the passing of time – the petals will fall, the energy will get less and the wrinkles will come. We tend to get into denial with fitness regimes, special diets, vitamin supplements and more expensive toys. Apparently the new 30 is 40 and 60 has become 70! Who are we kidding? Aches, pains, reduced strength, blurred vision, impaired hearing and slower-healing injuries all tell the inevitable truth about getting older. Does this mean that the best we can hope for if feeling over the hill is to be put out to grass and wait out our time? Goals and achievements that seemed so important become museum pieces in our minds. The medals and trophies no longer have the shine they did and seem less relevant. Just when trying to adjust to these changes along comes an unwelcome medical diagnosis with the uncertainty of a treatment pathway. This can hit many with depression, stale or broken relationships and turn us into grumpy old men and women. Do not lose hope for as the colours lose their brightness and the shadows lengthen, something else is happening.
- ‘Some age, others mature’ – Sean Connery
- ‘There’s a beauty to wisdom and experience that cannot be faked. It’s impossible to be mature without having lived’ – Amy Grant
- ‘Why are people afraid of getting older? You feel wiser. You feel more mature. You feel like you know yourself better. You would trade that for softer skin? Not me!’ – Anna Kournikova
- ‘As I grow older, I pay less attention to what men say. I just watch what they do’ – Andrew Carnegie
There are up to 200 different daffodil species, subspecies or varieties of species and over 32,000 registered hybrids. Just like humans, nothing can be done to stop any of them going through their life cycle. You might think that as the flowers discolour and fall that it’s all over but it’s not. Picking off the ‘deadheads’ enables the plant to capture the sun’s rays through its leaves and convert it to energy stored in the bulbs below. Tucked away under the ground, these bulbs can then multiply for the next season’s growth and bloom cycle. Aside from that, the daffodil produces a seed which can be pollinated producing up to another 25 daffodils within five years. Here’s a lesson from nature that Jesus picked up in various parables about seeds and the life cycle – the whole process of planting, growing, blooming and maturing should therefore be embraced.
- ‘He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint’ – Isaiah 40:29-31
- ‘When they get old, they will still bear fruit. Like young trees they will stay fresh and strong. They will say to everyone, “The Lord is honest. He is my Rock, and there is no evil in him”’ – Psalm 92:14-15
- ‘For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God’ – 1 Peter 1:23
- ‘Some skeptic is sure to ask, “Show me how resurrection works. Give me a diagram; draw me a picture. What does this ‘resurrection body’ look like?” If you look at this question closely, you realize how absurd it is. There are no diagrams for this kind of thing. We do have a parallel experience in gardening. You plant a ‘dead’ seed; soon there is a flourishing plant. There is no visual likeness between seed and plant. You could never guess what a tomato would look like by looking at a tomato seed. What we plant in the soil and what grows out of it don’t look anything alike. The dead body that we bury in the ground and the resurrection body that comes from it will be dramatically different’ – 1 Corinthians 15:36-38 The Message
If we are in constant struggle with our current circumstances then we will lose those precious moments. If we look to God in each moment, then we share it with him – the questions, the sorrows, the closeness, the trust, the growth and in so doing we mature in our relationship with him. The Apostle John tells how Jesus spoke about the need to remain in him and to have his words remain in us (John 15:1-9). Doing this is the way to bear fruit even in old age and through trials of many kinds. When you come across an older person or a Christian facing illness who has a quality of Jesus about them that inspires you, this is part of the fruit they are now giving. It shows their faith for the next flowering season which will surely follow and they reflect glory to God throughout it. People notice these things and so does God! Ask him for help and his presence in every phase of life and you will be that person who inspires others too.