"I Ain't Old!"

I stood in the driveway of Dad’s auto repair shop the day he confronted a gentleman representing the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). Dad informed the man he was not interested in any such membership even though the fellow said it would only cost around $5.00 for three years. Dad ended the conversation that day by saying, “I’ll give you the five dollars if you’ll get off my driveway. I’ve got work to do!”

Floating in the Dead Sea!
Image credit: pixabay.com

That terse response may have been what further emboldened Dad’s lifetime attitude about aging, “I ain’t old!” And he meant it! He was still showing up at the shop on this ninety-fourth birthday when I pulled up to get him to head out to our favorite restaurant for a barbecue baby back rib dinner! Over the years, we had used his birthday and mine as an annual occasion for such a celebration!

I just celebrated my seventy-fifth birthday over a recent weekend that included some of my other favorites that I don’t get too frequently, fried chicken wings and grilled catfish! The “I ain’t old” saying worked well for Dad! However, just the other day, I found myself saying something different to a close friend who shared his birthday wishes with me. I responded, “Appreciate the thoughts, dear friend! I did roll over to 75 this year. I could say it was only numbers, but the mirror tells me otherwise!”

The mirror isn’t the only measurement for my advancing aging. Lord willing, in the next year, I will see two grandsons graduate from college! On my count, there are six, of our twelve grands who have their driver’s license or are practice-driving in a Driver’s Ed program. And then it was inevitable that those same six grands have steady girlfriends or a boyfriend. Though I am certainly in no hurry, I will welcome, in the coming years, some little voices from great grands calling out, “Hey, Poppi!” I can’t deny that this mid-seventy guy has put some serious miles on his old body! 😊

There is a psychological defense mechanism called “aging deniers.” My dad was counted in their number! Mom used to say to me about dad’s rejection of the notion of aging, “Your dad thinks he will live forever!” As a manner of speaking, theologically, though dad passed away at ninety-four, he is living forever because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, His Lord, who promised, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” (John 11:25-26, NIV).

I think you can make too much of aging. I don’t want to become the senior adult who only talks about his aches and pains, medications or the next doctor’s appointment! But, you can minimize or deny the reality of this season of life so that you fail to see the blessings of the senior years. The Apostle Paul could see the providential connection between what has been and what is coming. He embraced destiny by affirming, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28).

The late pastor-theologian, Dr. John Claypool, wrote a book, on life’s experiences from childhood to adulthood, entitled, Stages: The Art of Living the Expected. Claypool suggests that Paul’s phrasing, “In all things,” means “It is not just the pleasures and triumphs that bear the mark of God’s hand, but all events – the bad as well as the good. Real maturity is achieved when the bittersweet quality of all existence is accepted rather than resented. ‘All sunshine makes a desert,’ states an old Arab proverb; wise is the person who comes to realize this fact.’” (Stages, p.85).

A few years ago, two of my close friends and I took a pilgrimage to Israel. We visited all the sites including the Dead Sea where salt deposits have made effortless floating possible! It was a photo opp! I conclude with another quote from Claypool as a wrap for this discussion on aging. “The waters of grace will support our whole weight if we can learn to trust them. Happy is the person who does not wait until he is sixty-five (and for me, seventy-five!) to discover the basis of such self-esteem.”

Let’s remember this glorious promise from Scripture, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Aging link: Class of '69

Mike Keppler, retired pastor,
active churchman and
doting grandparent.
Contact: drmjkeppler@gmail.com
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