"The Older I Get..."

Last Monday was Senior’s Day at the Illinois State Fair. For several years now, Monique and I have leveraged our retirement age and the privilege of free admission for old folks! It was a beautiful midmorning as we entered the main gate with delightful anticipation and a little extra energy in our step. We knew the location of our favorites for food and exhibits! Our eyes were also alert to any available benches, along the way, for rest and people watching. This was our annual visit to the fair!

It was a couple of hours later, after our visits to Vose Korndogs and the Pork Pavillion, that we had doubled back for a momentary respite in the Coliseum to watch the draft horse and pony show. As we sat there looking at some of the horses being groomed, I noticed what appeared to be a feat of physically balanced and creative achievement.

One of the contestants was a cute older grade schoolgirl. She was curiously lying on her belly straddling the backside of a very large horse. While facing downward, she carefully and meticulously braided the horse’s tail into a bun in a last-minute effort for the competition. I must say that the end product (pun intended!) was something to behold and earned her a third-place finish! 😊

As we were “people watching” between competitions, I looked up to see an older fan and his wife passing in front of me on the way to their seats. He was proudly wearing his Cub Cap! I was thinking as a Card’s fan, “There they go again… rubbing that recent Wrigley victory over us in our faces!” Then, my eye caught the caption on his t-shirt and I chuckled. It read, “The older I get, the better I was!”  

I am familiar with the way this saying starts out, “The older I get…” I have seen several funny iterations of this piece of “folk wisdom” in popular culture. Such as, the older I get, the earlier it gets late!” But some of these are a bit off-color and may give some the license to say any offensive thing they’d like - “The older I get, the heller the no!” or “The older I get, the less life in prison matters!”

Van Dyke Parks, the legendary musician, lyricist and musician, is credited with this self-deprecating quip, “The older I get the better I was!” Parks has written that his parents complained about all the time he was spending in the music studio. He made this “tongue in cheek” reflection, “My mother and father thought that my retirement plans were getting in the way of my career!”  

I’m not completely sure I understand the intent of Park’s saying. While reflecting on his extensive and yet, eccentric career in the music industry that included collaboration with Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys, he humorously labeled his career as “a triumph of the redundant.” I am hoping for a better outcome in these maturing years than just getting a little better than I was! I have a lot of room for growth and maturity!

If redundancy is nothing more than repeating a job that’s already done, then that’s no triumph! For me to explain my spiritual journey in the past tense as simply, “I have been saved!” isn’t sufficient. The initial repentance of salvation is just the beginning.  I must ask, “How does my life look today?” Spiritual growth and maturing in our walk with Christ must follow that first decision!

The Apostle Paul wrote about the radical reordering of truly “knowing Christ!” He described the continuing journey of the Christian life as “pressing toward the goal!” That is the goal of being Christlike! Paul assessed his progress this way, “I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead. I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ, is calling us. Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things.” (Philippians 3:13-15, NLT).

One of my favorite country music artists, Alan Jackson, has recorded a song written by Adam Wright, Hailey Whitters, and Sarah Turner on this very subject, “The Older I Get…” The last stanza summarizes this message, “The older I get the longer I pray. I don’t know why, I guess that I’ve got more to say. And the older I get the more thankful I feel for the life I’ve had and all the life I’m living still.”

Let’s give thanks! The best blessings may just be ahead!

Mike Keppler, retired pastor,
active churchman and
doting grandparent.
Contact: drmjkeppler@gmail.com
©2018-2026 All rights reserved.
Serve by Design. mjkministries.com

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