Flaky me

I thought turning 50 was pretty cool; it makes me sound all grown up and mature, right? Unfortunately, it's still the same flaky me, just in an older body. I found that out the hard way this morning when I did a belly-flop off the fireplace mantle onto the hardwood floor. Not exactly a belly flop, more like a knee-ankle-arm-and-toes-flop. Nothing broken besides my pride, but lots of scrapes and bruises. Clearly age has not improved my grace and agility.

It hasn’t helped my memory either. Or my aversion towards and ineptitude for paperwork. Or a host of other foibles and shortcomings that have followed me through my life. As a matter of fact, there are days when I don’t feel like 50 years of experience have done me much good at all.

But then I remember that the real standard I am called to live by is pursuing Holiness, not coordination and organizational skill. God is at work in me every day to make me more like His Son and less like flaky me. I may not have gotten any more graceful physically, but I hope and pray that I am becoming more full of God’s grace.

Galations 5:22 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Those are the qualities that really matter, the goals I strive for each day.

James 3:17 “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” That definition of wisdom is very different from what the world would define as successful, but it is what I pray for. I do plenty of belly-flops on those, too, but I like to think that I’m closer now than I was 50 years ago.