Are older people wiser? Not necessarily. Job 32:9 states, “Great men are not always wise: neither do the aged understand judgement.” Although wisdom is not promised with age, Proverbs emphasizes that wisdom is gained from hearing, learning, and seeking wise counsel (Prov. 1:5, 9:9, 16:21). There is a distinction between learning and wisdom too. 2 Tim. 3:7 talks about people who are “ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth”, and Colossians 2:2-3 reveals our source of all wisdom and understanding. Although wisdom is often accompanied with age and experience it is not defined by this criteria.
I’m sure we would rather stay young then age at all, but growing old is inevitable. So how do we age beautifully? Titus 2:2-4 defines a spiritually aged person this way:
That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience. The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children.”
This is just one picture in the Bible of becoming more lovely with age. While our bodies may weaken, our spiritual health can become stronger than ever. Perhaps there is truth to the saying, “Aged to perfection” but that perfection is in Christ, not ourselves. Christ is the goal.
Our faces may need more makeup as the years progress, but are we aging spiritually in such a way that our behavior and reactions reflect the spirit of God more and more, and less of the spirit of self with its carnal, untempered ways?
I hardly think that spiritual maturity means being boring and serious! Some of the godliest women I know have a sparkle in their eyes, a sincere warmth to their smile and countenance, and a love for life and care for others that makes you wish you had whatever is is they have! To me these are signs of aging beautifully, and I hope to be there someday.
