Age Is Just a Number

Have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror and thought: The wrinkles are coming! The wrinkles are coming! Well, if you haven’t yet, you will eventually. So, I’ve written a book to help you prepare for what’s ahead—but not just the wrinkles; I share tips for every age.

I want to encourage you starting with this wise saying: “In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count; it’s the life in your years.”

Right now, I am 77 years of age, but I don’t feel old and I don’t act old. I live an active, full life. I work hard at taking care of myself, because I want to last as long as I can.

The first time I ever felt that I was getting old was the day I had to sign up for Medicare. The experience felt surreal, as though I were watching a movie. But it was me, Joyce, in the Medicare office! And I simply wasn’t as young as I felt in my body or mind.

I’m glad I don’t feel old, and I hope and pray that I never do. I’m dealing with the aging process every day of my life at this point, but I refuse to feel old and think I am finished with life.

Psalm 92:12, 14 (NIV) says, The righteous will flourish like a palm tree…. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green. I am trusting God for this promise to be a reality in my life, and I hope you will trust Him to do the same in your life, too.

Always Ask Yourself: What Can I Do?

As the years pass, you may not be able to do everything you used to do, but you can always do something. And it’s important to focus on what you can do, not what you can’t do.

For example, I cannot lift as much weight at the gym as I did 15 years ago, but I can still lift a significant amount, and I am doing what I am able to do. I used to wear three-and-a-half-inch spike high heels, but now I wear comfortable shoes that still look stylish.

How about you? Have you noticed any changes to your physical body or abilities over the past five or 10 years? Have you made any adjustments to your lifestyle that you wouldn’t have made even a few years ago?

Paul writes, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13 NKJV).

That is, we can do all the things He wants us to do, not all the things we want to do. So, as we go through the aging process, rather than getting upset over what we can no longer do, we need to decide to be happy with what we can still do…and I’m thankful for my husband, Dave, because he is a great example of that.

Set Your Mind to Be Happy

To say that Dave enjoys golf would be a huge understatement. He loves to play golf and even just practice golf. He also likes to watch golf and read magazines about golf. I can’t think of anything concerning golf that he doesn’t like! I asked him how he thought it would affect him if he ever reached a point where he couldn’t play golf, and his answer was, “I’ve already thought about it and made up my mind to be happy anyway and to find other things to do.”

Dave’s comment represents a healthy mindset toward aging, one that allows us to be happy in any stage of life. If you are already thinking about something you enjoy and telling yourself, “I’m going to be very unhappy when I have to give this up,” then you have set yourself up for some sad times.

You can avoid those difficult days and find joy in the future instead if you will simply change your mind about the adjustments you will need to make as you age.

Focusing on what you do have instead of what you don’t have is a wonderful habit to develop. The aging process is a normal part of life, and developing the right mental attitude toward it early in life will be beneficial later.

Your latter years can and should be beautiful. One man said, “My wrinkles represent my memories.” I like that!

Make an Effort to Keep Moving

One of the best pieces of practical advice I can offer you is to do as much as you can for as long as you can. I have heard that the more we move, the more we can move, and the less we move, the less we can move. Therefore, even when I am writing, I get up and move around about once every hour. I walk through the house, and then do some mild stretches so my body does not become stiff.

We should move anything that is movable! When I was recovering from my hip surgeries, I did upper body exercises with large rubber bands that are used for exercise. I didn’t want to stop moving!

Let me encourage you to get “I can’t” out of your thoughts and conversation. Instead of developing the habit of saying, “I can’t,” try saying, “That would not be wise for me to do at this time in my life.” Telling people too often that you can’t do this or that anymore because you are old will imprint that impression in your mind and in theirs.

None of us knows for sure how many years we will live, but one thing is for sure: Having a healthy mindset will make all of them worth living.

So, let me challenge you to ask yourself an important question: Will you simply let yourself “get old,” or will you age gracefully, purposefully, and wisely, allowing God to use you in every season of your life? If you will embrace each season with fresh hope in Him, I believe your latter years can be absolutely wonderful.

This article is an adaptation of Joyce’s newest book, How to Age Without Getting Old, published by FaithWords. All rights reserved.