I’m Not as Youthful

Hello All,

What are you looking forward to in this brand new year? Any plans? Dreams? Aspirations?

Some may view New Year’s Day as an opportunity to press the ‘reset’ button and try harder at achieving resolutions that they could not keep a year ago. It’s like turning over a page of a thick, voluminous book.

However, celebrating New Year’s Day year after year can get rather disheartening for others. I do not mean to bring down the celebratory mood but allow me to explain my thoughts on this.

Each year brings us closer to decay. We grow older, not younger, each year and as much as we contrive to slow down the aging process, it is virtually impossible to recapture the essence of youth.

I’m Not as Youthful

By Joanne Liaw Sook Ling (24 October 2016)

I'm not as youthful

As I used to be

Am I still beautiful?

What would you say to me?

I'm not as youthful

As I'd like to be

My muscles are painful

My back aches constantly

I'm not as youthful

As I hope to be

To God I'm beautiful

That matters most to me

Points for Reflection:

Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.

(2 Corinthians 4:16 ESV)

·         Before I begin talking about the inner self, let me be clear that I do not have anything against taking good care of our physical bodies, our outer self. God has created us with amazing physical bodies, with efficient and complex biological systems, that we should not abuse.

·         God created everything good. However, when sin entered the world through the first man, Adam, and the first woman, Eve, perfection has become a long, forgotten dream. We fall ill, we age, we suffer and then we die.

·         If this life is all we are living for, then we are to be greatly pitied for investing all hopes in the temporal.

·         For those who trust in Jesus Christ, we do not need to fear decay and death. Christ died to give us new life in Him.

·         Despite the aches and ailments that come with age, we can rejoice that our inner self is being renewed day by day. As we read God’s Word, the Holy Spirit renews our minds, softens our hearts and transforms us each day to become more like Christ.

·         Are you anxious about growing old?

·         Are you still youthful on the outside and taking pride in that?

·         Do you place more value in nourishing your outer self or your inner self?

·         Why don’t you make it your resolution this year to nourish your inner self by immersing your mind in God’s Word?