Thoughts from a Gray Head

Proverbs 20:29: “The glory of young men is their strength, and the splendor of old men is their gray head.”
This summer I have attempted to look young. At 52, I can feel the aches and pains of middle age setting in and I don’t like it. In response, I have gotten a tan and let my hair bleach out a little bit. I have attempted to re-capture my younger appearance.
To this point, my experiment has been a miserable failure. While the tan is looking pretty good, it covers the flabby belly of a grandfather, not the flat, tight torso of a 20-year old stud. And the hair? Well, let’s put it this way: As I was getting my monthly cut two days ago, I watched it fall to the floor. There wasn’t a blond hair in the pile.
About two days a week, I stumble into the gym for a workout on the treadmill. I jog three miles each time. It never fails. As I stand there on the treadmill, huffing and puffing to avoid heart disease, some young whipper-snapper is on the treadmill next to me, breezing along at six or seven miles an hour. And then I look over and see my elders sitting on stationary bikes, reading magazines or watching FOX News. My point in all of this rambling? Getting old is not sissies.
And yet, getting old is not such a bad thing. Three weeks ago, I attended the funeral of a 21 year old man, young, strong and dark-haired, who was killed in a car accident. His beautiful girlfriend will grow old without him. Today I must write the funeral sermon of one of my finest friends. He died of cancer at age 57; just five years older than myself. His lovely wife will grow old without him.
James stated that life is a “vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” (James 4:14) I intend to fully embrace this age thing. I intend to make the most out of what time I have left. Wasting time is not an option. No, I am not as strong as I used to be. To echo the “legendary” Toby Keith, “I’m not as good as I once was, but I’m as good once as I ever was.”
And, by the way, I am full of splendor. The Bible says so.