Tempered

We talked today in Sunday school class about the process of maturity and how we tend to see things differently as we grow older and more mature, chronologically as well as emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. We talked about how our sometimes “black and white” ideas and notions are often tempered by age, experience, and knowledge. We looked at the man John, the disciple of Jesus and writer of several portions of the New Testament as an example of someone who, over the years, comes to moderate his persona and becomes known as the Apostle of love.
I find myself in that same position in many aspects of my life. What used to be so black and white to me no longer is, and what seemed to be such simple and easy solutions to problems and issues no longer are. I’ve become more tolerant in many ways, even as I become more set in my ways in other areas of life and living. And I’ve come to appreciate more and more those things in my life that are blessings. Grandchildren, family, work, music, health, God, wife, past experiences and friends all come to mind pretty much all at once and in no particular order.
I find myself thinking more about the past, marveling at the rich and full life I’ve lived to this day. I hear music of whatever variety from years ago, whether on an LP record, in church, or on the Lawrence Welk show on PBS, and I think of the good things that I’ve associated with that particular melody. I see old TV shows and recall pleasant times of comfort and security at home with Dad and Mom, knowing now that they were providing me with the best they had to offer. I see movies like Apollo 13 and think back to what I was doing and where I was and how I was astonished at the ability and capability of men and women to do things like that…and that I am still filled with wonder at the sight of portions of the universe never before seen until now through the Hubble space telescope.
Is this a sure sign of aging? Is this a precursor to life in retirement? Is this a mark of a man readying himself for the inevitable? I don’t know.
One thing I do know is that however much time I am blessed with here in this life, it has been given to me by God to use productively and wisely. And although I don’t always do that like I’d like to, I’d like to think that my age and experience enable me to do a much better job of being a good steward of the things I’ve been given. And if that means being not so much black and white and looking beyond the simplistic and naïve, so be it.