Aging Grace – Stuart Segall
Now in my eyes, in all my experiences, there is nothing more wonderful on my journey of life than grace. Most especially, “amazing grace.” Much has been written just in my lifetime alone about the subject.
However, today, my mind is on another grace. A human grace. A grace that is helped by a spiritually mature person for sure, but it should be found in any emotionally mature person. I simply call it “aging grace”.
Eventually, we are all headed into the winter of our lives and when we join the winter club, we ought to be seasoned with some aging grace. I find aging grace is like aging a great steak so it will be tender and easy to ingest. Such is the same with our words here when we find a softening with the aging grace.
We are told in the Book of Wisdom that “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver” (Proverbs 25:11).
I want to encourage you to expand your horizons, your rungs on your life ladder to know that a life fitly lived with aging grace is like a basket of gold apples.
Believe me; I do not have this one down perfectly. I write for several other mediums, and not too long ago I wrote some humor that cracked me up and therefore it just had to make others laugh too. It was funny, but it could have been misunderstood, so I thought about it for awhile before I posted, and “aging grace” stepped up to the plate and I did not post it.
Now, I actually lamented that I did not catch the mistake the first time around. I am my own worst critic, so “aging grace” begins with me, and cutting myself some needed slack.
As a counselor I try to guide people to see that the most practical way of this topic is when replying to people – aging grace inspires us to respond to people, rather than react to them. Aging grace gives more of the benefit of the doubt. It errs on mercy rather than judgment. It allows and even encourages the spotlight or the attention to go to others.
We all have a way to go on the pathway of life, even the ones who don’t admit it. The good news is we are a work in progress, and if you can’t see what you might need to, ask a good friend to help! He or she might show you how far you have come, which is most encouraging.
Sometimes we don’t see the progress because we are too close to the situation and the destination seems so far away, yet we are traveling! We are not where we want to be, but we are not where we once were either and that is noteworthy!! Just don’t let yourself stand in your own way!!
When I was in college, I once heard the expression “Show me a man or woman who expresses they like correction, and I will show you a liar.” For the most part, I believe that! We were not wired to like it. I don’t like change, correction, or the buffeting of one’s self either, but when you grasp the reality of the image below, you can deny it or you can allow yourself to be propelled toward more of your destiny as a result of understanding.
Plain Truth Ministries | Box 300 | Pasadena, CA 91129-0300
