That Moment When...

Gray hair is a crown of glory;
    it is gained by living a godly life.

Proverbs 16:31

 

I remember, as a youth, being asked for my identification to make sure I was "of age."  And while, at the time, I found it annoying and inconvenient, it was part of being young.  I will not forget the first time I was purchasing some items at the grocery store and the bagger looked to be about 10, and he said, "Do you need any help carrying these to your car, Sir?"

 

That was a gut punch for me!  When had I become......old?  

 

     *   I did understand that I didn't move as quickly as once I did.  

     *   I did notice that I tended to look forward to sitting down more.  

     *   I did notice that I seemed to nap without fighting it.  

     *   It did occur to me that I no longer thought of myself as invincible. 

     *   I began to notice that the "music" of today had become *gasp* too loud.

     *   When did all my favorite songs get moved to the "Oldies" station?

 

And then came the day when I looked in the mirror and saw my Grampa looking back at me.

But the more I looked at the face looking back at me, the more I remembered that Grampa may have slowed down, but he enjoyed life and he had a lot of wisdom to share.

 

I have admitted before and confess it again, I haven't exactly lived a godly life for most of my breathing time.  I played the part when I needed to, but that was just a mask I wore when I needed to.  But once God truly got hold of me, the mask came off and my life changed.

 

Now, I still screw up more times than not; I still say things I shouldn't; I still think things I shouldn't; I still recognize that I mess up with alarming frequency.  But, God hasn't finished with me yet, because He's still teaching me and He's letting me stay around a bit longer, because His mission for me has is not completed.

 

I have a crown of gray hair, sparse though it may be. And hopefully, some wisdom has found its way into the grey goop between my ears.