When I’m 64
by Oliver Carlos
There’s a Beatles hit song entitled “When I’m 64.” The lyrics talks about a man who is asking a loved one if he will still be important to her when he’s an old man. Well, it’s very natural to feel that way as we age. Many insecurities come up in our minds, mostly about our physical health. Like for me, I’m afraid of the day when my hair would be gone. I don’t want to be bald.
For some, they may be afraid of growing fat and ugly, or having wrinkled skin, or losing their eyesight. But the more dreaded insecurities would be developing a terminal disease that would be long and painful to battle. It’s hard to imagine the physical discomfort and mental stress that goes with it.
But there’s a passage in the Bible that hits this issue bullseye. The apostle Paul talks about growing old and having high spirits at the same time. He admonished the oldies to refrain from getting discouraged by the wear and tear of their bodies, but instead look forward to the blessing that comes with aging. Let’s read 2 Corinthians 4:16–18 (GNT):
“For this reason, we never become discouraged. Even though our physical being is gradually decaying, yet our spiritual being is renewed day after day. And this small and temporary trouble we suffer will bring us a tremendous and eternal glory, much greater than the trouble. For we fix our attention, not on things that are seen, but on things that are unseen. What can be seen lasts only for a time, but what cannot be seen lasts forever.”
If we are in Christ, we are assured of our salvation. We are 100% sure that we will be with God in eternity. Thus, as each day passes, the closer we get to being with God in heaven. This is the reason why Paul was never discouraged, but instead excited. He said that the pain, stress, and discomfort that goes with aging is just TEMPORARY, and thus, we should not dwell on them too much. When they pass away, we will receive what is PERMANENT- eternal life, freedom from all pain and suffering, in the glorious presence of our God!
It’s hard to focus on this permanent thing because it is still unseen at this point. Meanwhile, our decaying body is very much visible. So this is where faith will come in. Faith is seeing the unseen. We just have to exercise our faith, believe that Jesus has in store for us a great and wonderful life with him in eternity. We don’t see it, but we believe it. That’s what faith must be.
If we think about this all the time, everyday till we die, we won’t have a miserable life on earth in our senior years.
