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by Dr. Charles Stanley
Have you ever noticed that, while some people in their eighties still seem youthful, others appear old at forty?
Of course, it is natural and normal for the body to age, but it is a completely different story when a person “gets old.”
The difference is one of attitude, as Scripture tells us:
“As (a man) thinketh in his heart, so is he”
(Proverbs 23:7 KJV).
People don’t have to get old unless they choose to do so.
Instead of asking, “How old are you?” we should ask, “How many years have you lived?”
God desires that you and I not get old for the simple reason that He wants to use us all the days of our life. As ambassadors of the Lord Jesus Christ, we have the responsibility to be our best, do our best and look our best because we represent Him to the world.
There are seven things to keep doing in order to stay young your whole life:
1. Keep Learning
Don’t settle for what you already know – as soon as you accept things as they are, you cease to stay young. Keep gaining knowledge about valuable things, starting with the Bible. Proverbs 4:22 says, “For they (that is, the words of God) are life to those who find them and health to all their body.” When we read the Scriptures, we get God’s Word into our minds and our hearts, and we begin to think the way He does. As we start to see things from His perspective here’s what happens: we stop worrying and fretting, and at the same time, we gain energy and a sense of anticipation. Our bodies and minds function best when we are not full of fear, anxiety, and frustration.
Even from the standpoint of aging, it is very wise to learn from the Word daily. Furthermore, Scripture is a love letter expressing God’s unconditional acceptance of all who come to Him. As you grasp that truth of His love and incorporate it into your everyday thinking and living, I guarantee that you will stay younger. Everything in our body flows differently when we have a sense of assurance, contentment and quietness in our inner being.
We should also continually learn something new about our health. We are allocated just one physical body, and, as with all resources entrusted to us, we are responsible to be good stewards of it. If we want to stay healthy, we must learn to discipline ourselves. Remember that the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, so we are accountable, no only to eat, sleep and exercise properly, but also to protect it from harmful substances and practices. If we cease to learn, we get into “rut living,” which leads to aging. Find something you don’t know how to do - how about a computer program or a foreign language - and challenge yourself to do it. Continual learning will keep your mind fertile and young.
2. Keep Loving
The Lord doesn’t want His children to live with bitterness, anxiety, resentment or hostility – those things negatively affect our body, our mind and every aspect of our life. Unhealthy emotions such as these indicate something is missing from our life. Perhaps destructive patterns like self-centeredness, jealousy or anger have take root instead of love. But unless we have the capacity to love someone, we cannot be the person God wants us to be. Nor can we achieve or accomplish the things that He has set for our life.
God desires that we be lovers. He created us not just so that He could love us, but so that we could also love Him and each other. Love causes energy to flow in our life – people who love, remain youthful in their spirit for the simple reason that they have anticipation and excitement. If we don’t love or feel loved, we will quickly start to age. Therefore, in order to stay young, fall in love with God and learn to let somebody love you.
3. Keep Laughing
Did you know that laughter affects every cell in our bodies? When we laugh, our immune system is stimulated, as is our creativity. In addition, we tend to let down our defenses and become more open and transparent.
Of course, if you’re living a life of sin and rebellion toward God, you’ve got something to frown about because you’re heading in the wrong direction.
But laughing – that is, being joyous in heart – is of God. The Great Physician tells us that “a joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones” (Proverbs 17:22). Perhaps you’re thinking, 'I can’t laugh because of my circumstances.' It’s true there are some serious things that should not be laughed at. The joy that’s spoken of in the Bible, however, is not an external joviality; it is an internal quality that is not dependant upon our situations. True joy results from recognizing that a sovereign, omnipotent God lives inside of us – and He can enable us to smile, no matter what.
Sometimes being able to smile is a matter of switching our focus from our circumstance to our blessing. Most of us have good health, a place to live and somebody who loves us. What about wonderful children, grandchildren, sisters, brothers, a husband or a wife? Or consider things you appreciate not having, such as disabilities, pain, danger or fear. Every one of us should have a thankful heart – and our gratefulness will yield cheerfulness.
We are most like a child when we are laughing. Keep in mind that laughter is not restricted to the young; we should never get so old that we can’t laugh. Inside every woman, the little girl is still there and within every man, there remains the little boy. We will live longer if we let the little boys and little girls out, express what we feel and enjoy life. So drop your guard and become transparent. Take yourself less seriously. If you don’t have any friends who make you laugh, find some. And remember: children of God should be living illustrations that, when Christ comes into our life, there’s reason to rejoice.
4. Keep Laboring
Psalm 92:14 compares us to strong trees that “will still yield fruit in old age.” This means that we should be fruitful and productive, regardless of our age. There is nothing wrong with retiring from a lifelong secular career, but to cease working in order to do nothing is a sin. With such a retirement, the brain sends a message to the body: It’s all over! We start aging when we stop being challenged and motivated.
If you have been blessed with money or experience, ask God what He wants you to do with it after you finish your secular vocation. There is a myriad of ministries and ways to serve the Lord, so ask Him to give you a plan. Do you want to remain young? And do you want God to bless you? If so, then be useful.
5. Keep Leaving…
...emotional baggage. Too many people live in the past, clinging to old hurts. Plagued by criticism, rejection and jealousies, they are weighed down by bitterness and haunted by old resentments and hostilities. Such unrelenting memories bend the spirit, the emotions and the body. God, however, never intended for His children to live with such burdens.
We will age quickly if we do not learn to leave behind the past with all of its regrets, disappointments and heartaches. That emotional baggage does not fit who we are. God wants us to focus our minds on the present and the future, and He is willing to remove our weighty burdens, if only we will let Him. But first we must learn to forgive others – and ourselves - and be willing to stop living in the past.
6. Keep on Longing…
...for better things. Don’t give up on your dreams, or you will start aging. I learned a long time ago that I am the most motivated, efficient and content when I am working toward a goal or looking forward to enjoying a desire. Anticipation keeps us young.
Never settle for goals that are too small or too safe. While we shouldn’t throw caution to the wind, neither should we play it so safe that we miss what God can do. Make big plans and dreams – big enough that they won’t come to fruition without God’s help. Keep in mind that God has wonderful plans for each one of His children. Ask Him, “What are Your plans for my life?” Then delight yourself in the Lord, and expect Him to intervene! (Psalm 37:4) It will be exciting, and you will discover that you have more energy, more stamina, and more faith.
7. Keep Leaning…
...on God. If I had to select a single verse that’s been the anchor of my life, it would probably be Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will keep your paths straight.”
Never stop talking to God or listening to Him. Keep believing that He can and He will. When we learn to lean upon the Lord for every need both in difficult times and in good times, we will experience a sense of contentment and joy. We don’t have to age because of troubles, trials or heartaches.
Will your body age? Yes, it will. But that certainly doesn’t mean you will also have to become old in your mind, in your spirit or in your heart. My challenge to you is this: Choose God’s best. Start living today with the confidence and assurance that God will work in your life to renew your strength. (Isaiah 40: 31)
"How To Stay Young Your Whole Life" by Charles F. Stanley appeared in In Touch magazine, March 2003. Copyright © IN TOUCH MINISTRIES. P.O. Box 7900, Atlanta, GA 30357. All rights reserved. www.intouch.org. Used with permission.
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