Life is a journey, a great adventure. Often times the journey is a
struggle. There are ups and downs, hills and valleys, mountaintop
experiences and depths of despair. As we age, we fight gaining
weight, wrinkles and age spots and experience the loss of family
members and friends. We battle life-threatening diseases, tooth
decay, high blood pressure and cholesterol. We find that, along with
new aches and pains, we’re not able to do things as quickly as we
once did. The journey takes its toll, and we come to a point where we
may want to chuck it all and drop out.
Yet, living well in the spirit at age 50-plus means not giving up and
dropping out. It means letting the rhythms of our bodies dictate when
we get up and when we take our rest. It means embracing the beauty in
each new wrinkle for the experiences it represents. And, like the
Nike commercial says, now is the time to “Just Do It.” Do
something new you’ve always wanted to do but never quite had the
time to: learn to speak another language or play the mountain
dulcimer or go to seminary at age 54. I did.
Living well in the spirit at age 50-plus means taking time for
reflection, study and prayer, cultivating mindfulness in the Buddhist
tradition, discerning God’s call, taking a risk. The late Joseph
Campbell, a professor at Sarah Lawrence College, noted that the life
of “Jesus represents … the life of the spirit.” Jesus answered
God’s call. We hear God’s call, but it sometimes gets lost in our
world’s emphasis on wealth and climbing the ladder of success. When
we seek the safe way and fail to risk the unknown, life dries up.
Then, in our later years, we find our ladder against the “wrong
wall.” Living well in the spirit at age-50 plus means not letting
our ladder end up against the wrong wall.
Rev. Vicki Ray, an ordained minister in the Christian Church
(Disciples of Christ), is pastor of Salvisa Christian Church
(Disciples of Christ).
No comments:
Post a Comment