Monday, June 14

Even those who live many years should rejoice in them all...
—Ecclesiastes 11:8a

As the years of our life continue to unfold, we often find ourselves unhappy with the changes that aging brings. While we hope that we grow in wisdom as we age, we do not look forward to alterations that leave us more conscious of aches and pains and less capable physically. 

Beyond mere cosmetic changes, increased health risks and associated health problems can sap our strength and will to live. There are moments when we think we've had enough of life. We think we've experienced enough years. We are certain there is no longer any meaning or purpose for our continued existence.

Just as every day is a miraculous gift from heaven, so the accumulation of those days into years is a gift. To rejoice in every one of them may seem difficult at times, but the very possibility of opening our eyes to the grandeur of the sun's rising, or feeling the soft rain in spring, or touching the hand of a loved one, or thinking a new thought, or sitting quietly in the warmth of the sun, or sharing the wisdom we have gained from our years, or stretching our weary body under fresh cotton sheets reminds us that the joy of life is not in the absence of physical limitations, but in the living of the life itself. 

If we will simply live, as Jesus said, one day at a time, we will find that the single days that become years have circled around us with the color of rainbow rings.

O God, when complaints creep from my soul, show me yet one more miracle and let me be renewed in joy.

These Signposts originally appeared on explorefaith in 2003.