“…but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.” ~2 Corinthians 4:16
I’ve always intended to age gracefully.
I still feel about 25 on the inside, so I just imagined my outside would reflect it accordingly. Boy, was I wrong.
My body—which managed to birth eight babies and maintain my high school weight—has turned traitor as the number on the scales creeps higher. My eyes have changed dramatically in the last year and require fancy and expensive contact lenses for me to both read and see distances (less clear than before) at the same time. The face in the mirror often looks older, more tired than I’d like.
Some days I just want to yell: Nobody told me this was going to happen! I didn’t sign up for this!
So much for aging gracefully.
In April I heard a minister from Arkansas preach on 2 Corinthians 4:16, how our bodies age but the inward man renews daily, and something inside of me clicked:
God doesn’t look at the wrinkles at the corner of my eyes.
God doesn’t look at my waistline or the number on the scales.
God looks at my inward man, the part He put there and whose job is to reflect and glorify Him, that He renews daily.
I look around me and see women whose bodies have aged, but whose lives serve Him by the example and wisdom they share with others. That inward part of them that loves the Lord and that He loves in return is unworn, unwrinkled, ageless. Their service may be less physical, but they serve nonetheless.
This perspective has transformed my thinking radically and I am encouraged.
Does this verse speak comfort to you the way it does to me?
by Dawn Camp, My Home Sweet Home
by Dawn Camp
You are such a beauty – inside and out because you radiate God’s love! Wonderful and wise post.
Thank you, sweetie!
This is such an important truth that we need to cling to–daily. I appreciate your beautiful and encouraging reminder this morning, Dawn.
Rich blessings as you continue to grow in character, all for His glory…
We do have to cling to it daily, because unfortunately that may be how often we’ll see the physical manifestations that discourage us! 🙂
It’s the cost of *living*…just as the cost of child bearing changes everything…so does living.
Oh, Dawn, long story why but I really needed to hear this today. Thank you, friend, thank you, thank you. From God’s heart to your pen to my day…
Yay! Thankful for the chance to bless you.
Absolutely! When I see older people, who love Jesus, it’s like their inside spirits glow brighter than all the wrinkles and age spots. Their inner beauty outshines their outside appearance.
So true, I know exactly what you mean.
As a forty something mother of three I needed to near this today. Its an attitude that allows you to grow old gracefully.
My mother was in bad health for years, but she would always say that she would rather be her age than mine. Growth is more than physical, and that inner peace does allow you to grow old gracefully.
From now on, with every new wrinkle, I will remember that I am growing inwardly in beauty. . that time and age and trials only strengthen and make us more beautiful to Him. And that is good. Because I think I just saw a new wrinkle today. . . 🙂
Beautiful post Dawn! Thank you!
What grace it would be to keep that perspective!
You can choose to grow old gracefully or full of grace.
I love seeing older people who love the Lord and are in church each and every Sunday – doing their part – praying, listening, learning & showing us younger folks how to grow old gracefully!!
Great post!!
“You can choose to grow old gracefully or full of grace.” – LOVE it!
Dawn,
Thank you for sharing this. I totally understand. I am now in my late 40’s and when I hit 40 it was like my body started some dramatic changes overnight from blurred vision, wrinkles, gray hairs and weight gain. What happened?
It is comforting to be reminded that although my body may be deteriorating that my inner spirit man is being renewed. Yeah!!
Thanks for that reminder.
Gloria, I’m right there with you, 45. It is totally crazy what happens to you, but yes, our inner spirit is renewed.
from one who has fought for years for peace of mind concerning body image….yes. this verse rings freedom for me! and really, what i want to leave is a legacy of faith. i don’t want my children and grandchildren speaking on my weight at my funeral! great post today!
Yes, a legacy of faith! That’s what it’s all about, really.
Dawn–Praise and glory to God. I needed to hear this after the day I had yesterday. From someone who is supposed to love, I heard indirect judgement about the physical being. I was soured. Thank you for the lift.
Mandylyn, sorry for your bad day. I’m glad this helped. 🙂
Dawn, I had never thought of that scripture in that light before……LOVE it now for more than one reason…….I just turned 56 and my body is giving up its youth, more surely now than slowly. I cried talking with my husband the other day about how sad I feel that my youth is slipping away. I spoke of it like I was mourning its death…..If God gives me more years here on this earth I will turn old and grey, but as the wonderful scripture says, I will be renewed inwardly by our precious and life-giving Lord every day!!!!……Thank you so much for sharing this……Blessings, Cate
Cate, you are a beautiful 56. I told my husband that other day that it was a shame that my body was aging just as I was hitting my stride. He got tickled about the “stride” comment, and then that made me realize how silly it all is. 🙂
This is SUCH a great message for the women of today. tHanks so much for the wonderful reminder. I tell my 7 year old daughter often that its the “inside that counts”, and yet I struggle so much to believe that truth for myself.
Christine, you’re so right: we know it’s true, but it’s difficult to see that for ourselves.
This perspective has reminded me of my resent transformed thinking on aging. I lost my neice resently due to beast cancer. I fell in love with my neice at first site. I always thought it was her total cuteness that I was in love with. During her fight with cancer she lost her hair and weight and of course I still loved her so much. What transformed my thinking on aging and losing our appearance due to age or sickness was at my neices last viewing. Veiwing my neice I realized that it was not my neices cuteness that I love so much, it is her amazing spirit! I fell in love with the same and one thing that God loves about us, our spirit. God does not care if we are tall, short, black, white, straight hair or curly hair. God only cares that our spirit worships him in all we do.
I thank God that we had her spirit with us for 36 years. I know that her spirit does not belong to us but our spirit belongs to God where my neices was returned.
Since then I go out for the first time without makeup and I do not feel like it. I realize that what is more important is my inward beauty. The inward beauty is what all of this is about. It is what God want us to work on and keep watch over.
Auntie, you’re right, God is more concerned with our insides. 🙂
I used to think I’d always be young and carefree—even though I understood logically this would be impossible. Now I’ve discovered that life can weigh you down and pull the young and carefree attitude out of you; aging is not just a physical thing. This post is a wonderful reminder that we can renew daily, that God expects it and empowers us for this, no matter what life throws at us. Thanks, Dawn. Beautiful post!
Yes, more than the physical ages us, doesn’t it? So good that God provides renewal.
I’m in my 40’s, but I’m not exaggerating when I say that until a year or so ago, I honestly felt (and looked, I’m told) like I was in my late 20’s or early 30’s. My eyes are seriously going (can’t read a thing without reading glasses), my knees and feet ache all the time, and the one or two gray hairs I’ve had since my late 20’s have multiplied by the dozens.
Inside, though, I still feel young, hopeful, and positive. I credit that to God and nothing else. And I experience that daily renewal you mentioned. I’m so thankful for it.
Beautiful post! Thank you for sharing your heart!
Chrissy, I hear you loud and clear! 🙂
Dawn,
Beautiful post on a topic we all deal with.
I am finally to the point where I feel comfortable in my skin. During the teen years, I always thought I should look like this or that. The twenties left me unsatisfied, but now, after babies and sun and far too many carbs, I’m satisfied.
Also, the picture you included is great!
Amy, it’s funny how we’re the most critical of ourselves at the point when we probably looked the best. That’s the world’s point-of-view creeping in! 🙂
God sees my heart instead of my outside appearance! I’m thankful for that. As I age, it’s harder to look as I did years ago, but my heart can still be molded & shaped by Him!
your eyes, for me, have looked through the screen and said you care and reflected Him beautifully… and i can only imagine that will increase a thousand fold as you age and grow even closer to Him. that’s grace, friend. you are aging gracefully.
Sara, your words bring a tear to my eye. Thank you, friend!
Thank you all for the beautiful words of wisdom and truth!
Jesus shines!
“Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain:
but a woman that feareth the LORD,
she shall be praised.”
Proverbs 31:30
117 kids and 5 years into this journey in a new nation, I went from a baby faced 28 year old to having people guess I am in my mid 40s at 33. I wish I could blame it on extraordinary wisdom. Ahem. But I have brow furrows, greying hair that has crept in, and don’t really look my age anymore. At times it is a temptation for distress. So thank you for the reminder, truly. Because I was seriously contemplating spending a week at a spa of facials to see if I might find my young face somewhere under the one I see in the mirror here! Thank you for the focus adjustment… seriously. Love from this unpaved road… Michele
Thank you so much for this article…While its message should be an obvious one, how easy it is to forget; to focus on the outer “man”….Still struggling with an eating disorder which never truly resolved, I see my weight climb higher than it’s ever been due to age, sedentary lifestyle (due to disability) and medicines which cause weight gain. And I really struggle with self hatred. Because I am and have been since the age of 16, only as good as my waistline is small. I KNOW that is a dysfunctional way of thinking,. I KNOW that it flies in the face of what Scripture teaches…But tell that to MY inner woman who yells at me constantly about how big I’ve gotten. Thank you for the sentence that talked about us being more than our size. I’d rather have a pure heart and a serving life than to be a size 5, really, I would. It takes God’s daily grace – and reminders like your blog – to keep that desire in the forefront.