Aging with joy ~ for some, these two words just plain don’t belong together in the same sentence! For me, reaching the grand age of 59 this past September is amazing because I never dreamed I would and I certainly never dreamed I could pair the age with joy! He has been so faithful in His goodness towards me and I am forever grateful.
Forty- three years ago, He introduced Himself to me and I have been His daughter, blessed and highly favored all these years. He has shown me incredible love and great forgiveness as I struggled to find peace and mercy after an abortion at fourteen and getting pregnant at eighteen and subsequently giving her up for adoption. He walked with me through the years as I wandered in the wilderness and always let me knew He saw me, He knew me and knew exactly where I was and what I needed. He heard my cries and in His faithfulness, He answered them with great wisdom. Not once did He let me down or disappoint me although I know for years the way I lived my life was not a pleasure to the One who loved me so completely.
I am a birth mom and fourteen years ago, when the Lord gifted me in marriage with Bruce, a man who is my true heart and soul mate, I became a step mom and step grandmom and a birth grandmom. I have never raised any children but have learned by experience that children of the heart do not have to come by blood.
I am a Bible Study Fellowship graduate and have my certificate in Biblical studies through the International School of Ministry. I have also been a leader for Post Abortion Bible Studies and enjoy sharing my stories of grace and forgiveness whenever I speak at functions. Speaking and teaching the word through practical application is truly the joy of my heart.
It was in my first month of being 59 when the Lord gave me some rich insights into joy and my heart has been enlightened as the entrance of His word has shone light in some shadowy corners.
He spoke into my heart with the words, ‘Aging with joy comes when you grasp the truth of the treasure you carry in your bodies.’
Sure, as time goes on we experience creaky, sore joints and a myriad other complaints ~ few of which I am familiar with thank God.
Just as our bodies weaken and lose the suppleness of youth, so we experience the daily renewal of our inward beings. We walk by faith and not sight, amen? We cannot see the growth of our spirits although we will experience the growth through the changing of our nature and characteristics.
As God’s daughters, beloved and cherished, He is leading us. He is not leading us rotely or with boredom, He is leading us triumphantly and is announcing that we are trophies of His grace and kindness.
He has anointed us with the finest of perfumes, the sweet fragrance of Christ and when we walk through the days and years of our lives, the fragrance of the life of Christ permeates our atmosphere, touching and changing the hearts of those around us.
We no longer feel insecure and unsure of our purpose for we know and are confident that our abilities and sufficiency come from God. We have learned to listen to Him, wait for Him and then move on His unction.
We aren’t fretting about the lines and wrinkles adorning our faces for we have learned the secret of the fountain of youth. Spending time in the fountain of Living Water! We have learned as we read and meditate on the Word of God that transformation is taking place as He transfigures us into His very own Image. Over time as we display more and more of His nature and characteristics, we reflect the glorious Image of the Son.
We walk with God steadfastly, knowing with each passing year, we are getting ready for the glory of Heaven!
He beautifies us with salvation! He anoints us with the oil of joy and gladness! Gladness and rejoicing lead us into the presence of the King and in His presence there is fullness of joy.
Immanuel ~ God with us, in every hard circumstance of life He is an ever present help in time of trouble.
Immanuel ~ God with us, the God who sees the end from the beginning and is intimately aware of all the moments in between is the Lord God worthy of our absolute trust.
Gladness leads us into the presence of our King. Do we dare take the offered hand of Gladness? Do we dare? Into the presence of the King we go, clothed in garments inwrought with gold. We have walked through the fires of life and allowed ourselves to be subjected to the refining and purifying the trials offer us. Repentance adorns us with a beauty the King desires and this place of beauty and sorrow is where gladness leads us.
Gladness accompanies us and encourages us to live our lives in service to the King. We serve Him by acknowledging our sin and unrighteousness and laying it down before Him at the altar of repentance. We enter His gates with thanksgiving in our hearts because we know the joy of forgiveness. We have submitted to His Word and our lives honor Him in the deepest recesses of our beings. All is visible to Him and because of the blood, He sees us all glorious and radiant with the beauty of His holiness, our lives a beautiful fragrance to the King.
I can’t think of a better way to walk out the years of our lives and age with joy!
Blog: http://jeanniepallett.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/greaterthangold
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beckonedbytheking
Jeannie is an encourager who loves Jesus, His Word and you! She is passionate about cultivating our hearts to hear the sound of the Lord as He walks among us each day and if you follow her, you will discover she writes from a biblical perspective of victory!
She says, “ the most important fact about me is I am a Daughter of the King and if there is anything about myself that I want people to remember, it would be this:
I want people to say about me that I delighted in doing the will of my Father. I poured my life out on Him and sought Him as a precious treasure. Listened for His Voice as I have learned His Words are greater than gold and in Him, we have everything we need to live godly and contented lives.”
Jeannie’s life statement? “To have the gold of God’s truth and love radiating from my inner life so others are drawn to Jesus.”
Their two little dogs have trained her well and she is soft touch and obedient Mom to Shadow and Sasha.
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What a beautiful perspective! This encouraged me today. Thank you, Jeannie 🙂
Glad this encouraged you today Lyli! Sitting with Him changes our perspective because He teaches us how to see from a higher place of faith and love and truth! Praying we learn to live out of the heart He redeemed!
So beautifully written. Thank you for your transparency and encouragement. Your life in Christ is truly evidence that God will give us beauty for ashes.
Kristen, your thoughts remind me of what Paul spoke in 2Cor.3 about being living epistles with the word written in our hearts. His word is true, He beautifies us with salvation and His promises, well we can trust them all.
Jeannie….these words spoke volumes to me:
Aging with joy comes when you grasp the truth of the treasure you carry in your bodies.’
I LOVE it that we are being soaked in His perfume by the Holy Spirit so that we will be ready when the bridegroom comes……
loved: As God’s daughters, beloved and cherished, He is leading us. He is not leading us rotely or with boredom, He is leading us triumphantly and is announcing that we are trophies of His grace and kindness.
Thank you dear Jeannie…you are so full of the fragrance of the Lord that it emanates from your writing !
Mary, how special it is when His fragrance surrounds me! That fragrance just fills me with awe and wonder and I long to be able to just bask in it always. It is an anointing for service though. I so love and appreciate your sensitivity to the things of the Spirit and thank you for your words of encouragement.
OH MY! This is so beautiful. I am 67 and truly needed to read this and soak it in. I have been blessed.
Caring through Christ, ~ linda