A few years ago, I had the privilege of officiating the funeral of an 89-year-old man whom I had known for many years. He was always a pleasant man and had produced many endearing memories for his family and friends. One of the things he did that always made me smile was talk about all the old people we have at the church. He did it in such a way as to make me believe he did not consider himself to fit into this description. For him, an old person was anyone who was, or acted older than he did. He held this opinion up until he died.
It is said that age is relative. However, one fact is true of all of us, we are getting older and someday, we will be the old guy in the room. The question is, what kind of old guy will we be? Are we going to be the one people choose to avoid because we are the grumpy old man, or will we be the guy people come to for advice and council or simply because they like to be around us? We have a choice. That choice is determined now, regardless if you are 25 or 75. The decisions you make concerning your life and how you live it today, determines the kind of man you will be when you are “old”.
Every day, you are becoming more like the man you will be in the future. Choose to be the pushy, in it for myself guy today, and you will be that grumpy old man. But focusing on others and putting their needs ahead of your own will take you to the path of kindness and care. This is a slow process. You can’t always see what you are becoming. There will be a day you will look back with either regret of who you have become, or gratitude for the good choices you’ve made. This calls us to do a regular inventory of who we are so we have some input into who we will become.
The above discussion is based on this truth from Galatians 6:7, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap”. Scripture also gives us a pattern for assuring we are sowing the right character qualities now. Philippians 4:8-9 says, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”
This is a simple truth. What we choose to fill our lives with, is what will be available to us as we grow older. One means of filling our lives with positive truth is to be men who are consistently students of the Word of God. We are promised that this will never be wasted time. Even when we don’t see the relevance of a passage to our current life circumstances, having it in “storage” will benefit us when life situations call for this truth.
Beyond the input of good things, we can also secure a fulfilled future by making good choices concerning our output. In our busyness, we need to spend time building strong relationships with good people who will guide us in the right paths. Taking time to show love to your family now will allow them to return that love when we grow older. Building friendships with godly men will feed our spirits and hold us accountable to be godly in our decisions as well.
Finally, always be ready to allow God to rub off the rough edges of our lives. Be aware of those things that may cause people to move away from you and commit them to God, asking him to create in you the attitude of Christ. Working on these issues now will reap a huge reward in years to come. Being an old man who is loved and respected not only benefits you but allows Christ to be seen in you.