What can almost thirty years do?

March 16, 2010 | My Jottings

What can almost thirty years do to a person? I’ll tell you.

Almost thirty years can line the face and sag the skin. Almost thirty years can dim the eyes and thin the hair. That many years can wear away at the joints and stiffen the back. Almost three decades can steal the sense of smell, shrivel up the estrogen factories and turkey the neck. Almost thirty years can make sounds seem softer, turn stretch marks to silver, pad the hips, flap the thighs and build the butt. The passage of time can crook the fingers, flatten the feet, disturb the sleep and make the memory a sieve.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 But I’ll tell you what else almost thirty years can do.

Almost thirty years can bring marital comfort, especially if one of the people in the marriage is patient and faithful and an example of Jesus’s love.  The passage of time can result in adult children who turn into wonderful friends. It can bring grandchildren who almost burst the heart with love. That many years can refine friendships and remove petty misunderstandings, bringing joy and encouragement.

Almost thirty years can put a better set of lenses in front of the eyes, giving one a more eternal perspective. The passage of time can devalue things that we used to think were necessary, and make priceless those things we used to pay almost no mind to.

Nearly three decades can loosen the grasp on mammon, weaken the clinging to this earth, and sharpen our longing for heaven. The passage of time can fling open the doors of giving and bring contentment with very few possessions. Almost thirty years can fill the heart to the brim with love for all the people in your life, and wrench the heart with agony when those you love are hurting. The passage of time reduces the things you think are crucial to happiness to about five things.

Almost thirty years can bring about a lot of change in a life.