kenlassblog

Recently, my ten year old granddaughter looked at me and, out of the blue, asked “Grampa, what is it like to be old?”

How exactly do you answer that question? Do you explain how your hair turns gray, how you can’t run and jump like you used to, how you start to forget things, how you spend half your life in doctor’s offices, how you have aches and pains where you didn’t even know you had places?

Those are all negative things. After pondering for a moment, I chose to tell her that being old means you have a long catalog of great memories to savor. That you have a lot of wisdom and advice gained from your many adventures. That you have the joy of loving on grandkids, time for doing things you’ve always wanted to do, go places you’ve never been. Time to really appreciate and relish the special people in your life.

“Gee”, my little one replied. “I wish I was old.” I told her that one day she will be. Far quicker than she realizes. But if you live a godly life and treat people right, life gets better every day.

At some point you have probably seen or heard about the difference between mercy and grace. How mercy is not getting something you deserved, and grace is receiving something you didn’t deserve. Or is it the other way around? Sometimes I get them mixed up.

Either way, we usually speak of mercy and grace in terms of our relationship with God. But they also apply to our experiences with others. You are always going to have folks in your life with whom you disagree, disapprove of, or even argue and fight with. Tempers will rise. Feelings will be hurt. The temptation to escalate will be strong.

Showing a little mercy and grace to others will go a long way toward mending fences and restoring loving relationships. God has provided those two blessings to us. We would do well to pass them on.

There are few feelings in life better than when somebody is glad to see you. When we go to our grandchildren’s house, they squeal with delight when we walk in the front door and run to us to give us a big hug. Of course, that will change as they grow older, but it sure feels good now. I guess it’s because we have treated them with all the love we have, and love always comes back to you. (although they are also playing us like a violin)

When you approach friends and family, are they happy to see you? If they are, it’s because you have treated them with love and respect. Sometimes they don’t always show it in an obvious way, but folks want to be around people who make them feel good about themselves.

Want to be welcome everywhere? Treat folks right. Then get ready for hugs and handshakes.

Are you in a good mood today? No? Okay, let’s try to change that. I googled how to get into a good mood. I got an AI answer, and here’s what the technology came up with:

Watch a funny movie or TV show. Play with a pet. Spend time with good friends. Take a walk through a pretty landscape. Get some exercise (it releases endorphins). Listen to inspirational music.

Any of those sound like they might work? Hope so. It would be a shame to waste this precious day feeling grumpy or sad. My prayer is that you will find something, many things, to feel good about today.

Life isn’t much fun if you lack energy. Everything seems so much harder when you are weak and tired. There are any number of commercial supplements you can buy claiming to boost your energy level. But the safest and most reliable way will come as absolutely no surprise to you. It’s what you’ve heard all your life. It’s just being smart and under control.

Doctors say drink plenty of water. Eat a diet heavy in fruits and vegetables, get your body moving every day, get enough sleep, manage your stress, and enjoy a little sunlight. Nothing new there, right? But, of course, doing all of those things is easier said than done. Most of us would rather try a shortcut by taking some sort of pill.

You probably take enough pills. If there’s something you can accomplish without pills, it makes sense to do it. Increasing your energy is one of those things. So go old school. Just live healthier. You’ll be surprised how well you can adjust and succeed.

As a child, I was very afraid of the dark. And darkness still makes me uncomfortable. I’m not sure why. I guess it’s because I can’t see what’s around me, and my imagination creates possibilities. Usually scary possibilities. I’m afraid of what I can’t see and don’t know.

Fear works like that in many areas of our lives. We worry about what may happen, instead of focusing on things as they really are. It helps to have a strong belief in God’s protection and eternal plan for you. Whatever’s out there, whether you can see it or not, will not change your eternal destiny. You don’t have to be afraid of it.

Keep that in mind the next time your world seems to go dark.

Every once in a while the tire inflation icon on my car dashboard will light up. This happens even though there is plenty of air in my tires. The system just needs to recalibrate, which happens when I push and hold a button below the steering wheel. Icon goes out, everything is fine.

But recently the icon came on and stayed on. My tires were properly inflated, and I pushed the recalibration button several times. Nothing would turn the light out. So I called the service department at the dealership and described the problem. They told me to bring the car in for inspection. The dealership is about six miles away. I was almost there when I thought, maybe I should give the recal button one more try. So I pushed it, and of course, the icon light went out and stayed out.

So was there a problem? Is there still a problem? Do I still need to take the car in? After pondering, I chose to get the car looked at anyway. Better safe than sorry. That’s a smart way to go through life.

(PS: They couldn’t find anything wrong with the car.)

My daughter turned 40 years old this year. She was a bit depressed because she says she is getting “old”. I am nearly twice that age. 40 years old seems incredibly young to me. Funny how it’s all in how you feel about it. I know some sweet folks who are in their nineties. They refer to me as a “kid”.

If I think about my age as it relates to my daughter, I feel ancient and futile. If I think about it in relation to my nonagenarian friends, I feel young and optimistic that there is much of life yet to come. It’s a completely different mindset. It makes me realize I can choose my outlook on life.

Regardless of your age or circumstances, choose to be young at heart. Choose gratitude for this day and excited anticipation for what you might be able to experience in life yet to come. We can’t always choose our situations, but we can always choose our attitude.

As I write this, I am sitting at the desk in my home office. Directly in front and above my computer screen is a photo of my parents. They’ve been deceased for years, but in the picture they are reasonably young, like in their fifties. She is in front, with him behind her shoulder, both with broad, beautiful smiles as they look to their left off camera. This is the way I remember them. Not old and sickly as they were in their final days.

They look so happy. So in love. They modeled for me what it looks like to truly be devoted to another person. I can only hope I have passed that example down to my kids and grandkids.

We can teach our families many things through instruction. But teaching them how to love, really love, that can only come through example.

I was walking through the lobby of my church recently when I entered an area that had just been freshly painted. There were “wet paint” signs all over the railings and doors. Why is it that whenever you see a “wet paint” sign, you feel an irresistible compulsion to touch it anyway? It was all I could do to resist dabbing it with my finger, just to see if it was really wet.

Temptation never goes away, does it? There’s always that mischievous voice in the back of your mind urging you to do something you know is wrong. Might be little things, like touching something you shouldn’t, or big things. It takes real effort to anticipate temptation, prepare for it, and deal with it.

You need a solid base and foundation to work from. God’s word can provide that. Study it, learn it, follow it. It’s the best way to always keep your hands clean.