The older I get the more I notice a similarity between aging physically and maturing spiritually. As I reviewed the last seven decades of my life, some of the things I was interested in while still maturing naturally and spiritually, are no longer of interest to me. These are issues like proving a point, debating with ornery people, or feeling the need to show up for everything that demands my attendance. I used to think the more complicated and filled my calendar became the more it represented evidence of maturity. It’s not – it just robbed me of simplicity and focus.
The home we live in is about my age. Some non-essential issues with the property that I would have put on my to-do list to immediately remedy in my forties, I will now trust to be addressed by my kids when in a few years Jan and I are walking hand-in-hand along the pearly boulevards of Heaven. When we get older we begin to realize there is a lot less calendar before us than what is behind us. We need to give ourselves permission to have some blank pages in our calendar. A narrowing of our remaining days on Earth makes one reevaluate the issue of necessity.
My spiritual “to-do” list is similar to how I relate to the repairs to our home. The list is very short and consists of one thing – growing in intimacy with God. I want to spend the rest of my days exploring the depths of intimacy with the Lord in preparation for our meeting in eternity. Anything that robs me of that intimacy is removed from any list of perceived urgency.
Maturing in our spiritual and natural expressions of life is evidenced by a growing need for simplicity. In simplicity, we are given the time needed for reflection where the depths of intimacy can be explored. It’s not about becoming an old person spending their remaining days sitting on a park bench feeding pigeons, but it might include a park bench and pigeons if the Lord invites us to sit with Him and reevaluate what is most important in our life at that moment in time.
Very encouraging, thank you Garris! Please write a new book! Have all your books!!!
beautifully said and true
To every thing there is a season and a time for every purpose under Heaven. I am the same age as you and am sensing the desire to slow down, pause, pray and meditate on the truth and wisdom of His Word.
Oh so true.. During my quite time early one morning I heard..
“Enjoy where I have you.”
That required of me something different.. Then a couple of days later I heard..
“Enjoy ME”..
It has changed me..
So Beautiful ❣️
Thank You Garris…a Very Good word 😊
This sooo spoke to my heart as we’re in the same season.
Teach me Lord is my prayer.
Garris thank you for this word. This is where I am in my life and I am loving it. This word confirms to me I am right in God’s will . I shared it on facebook
i will be 73 in a few months. I so agree with you particularly on not having to prove myself or explain why Ive just said no. I love the freedom of this while still remaining connected with those I’m called to.
and top priority is intimacy with Jesus . Bless you and Jan.
Thank you Garris. True words. True words are a light shining from an eternal, loving and peacfull source. Our source. The Father
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O