2ND Corinthians 4:16
2nd Corinthians 4:16: Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, the inward man is being renewed day by day!
Welcome to Wednesday’s Word & Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power and Trench Classes United. I’m not so certain men really think about this subject as much as women do, so ladies, join me for what I hope will be a joyful blog about the topic of aging…gracefully!
I’ll never forget the first time, or any time thereafter, for that matter, that I looked down at my feet while exercising and literally gasped! What in the world was that around my knees, this sort of jelly-like flesh that headed west while I was trying to stand up towards the east? But it didn’t stop there! It happened while working my upper body as well I’d look to the north only to see the skin around my arms heading south!
What in the world…why in the world….I began this internal anguish, and suddenly it hit me: the body is aging; the heart is willing but my flesh…well, it’s a tell-tale sign that I am in deed getting older.
So a few weeks ago, after too many occurrences like this, as well as a stolen glimpse here and there in the mirror while getting dressed, I determined in my heart this goal: I was going to be fit, firm and fun by _____! I’ll give you a hint: both numbers of the age begin with an “F”! I figure the only thing to do is try to build some more muscle to take up residency in that flapping skin!
There’s just a wee-little problem with this grandiose goal of mine: It requires more of me and from me in order to achieve. Sure, the muscles have great memory, and yet everything is moving at a much slower pace within, especially my energy level…except the aging cell! Why can’t I just age gracefully? Why does my flesh scream hide my flesh, fix my flesh, especially in light of this amazing word found in 2nd Corinthians 4:6? Could it be that my flesh is ruling my heart? I mean, look at the end of the first statement: “…do not lose heart”!
How does one find that balance in the midst of “the change of life” where gravity seems to have disappeared?
I think the first thing is to take our eyes off of our flesh, and set them on the things of the Spirit, just as we are told in Romans 8:5. Oh, how I now understand more than ever this truth: that the more I focus on the flesh, the more I will be ruled by my flesh!
As I was struggling with this too, too much over the last couple of weeks, I heard a whisper: Even though your outward woman is perishing, the inward woman is being renewed day by day!
Talk about a splash of perspective! Don’t you just love how He speaks through His word to let us know He loves us right where we are, just how we are?
I am determined to keep my eyes on the One who gives me each day to age, plugged into the Power Source that I would be eternally renewed day by day, despite what the external looks like. ☺ When I get there, He’s certainly not going to talk to me about how great my body looked; He’s much more invested in our spiritual self!
How about you; are you preparing your inner self to see Him face to face?
Learning to rejoice in the process…
Evinda
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