For men, It appears to be a God principal that all the gifts He gives us are but temporary, He eventually takes them all back. It is also His pleasure to replace those gifts with other blessings, always richer than the first.
Men often first notice this in our early thirties with loss of our cherished athletic abilities. Our slim, trim bodies begin to widen and we lose hair in some places but, disappointedly, grow it elsewhere. Little health issues appear, first quietly. The river of our life gradually dwindles to a trickle. Men know.
Towards the end of this process nearly all the gifts we so thoroughly enjoyed are lost. Careers end, political, social, and financial powers ebb and cherished family positions are delegated to others. This continues for years until near the end, it seems all is lost.
But wait! God has not forgotten His second blessings for us guys.
We may have lost much, but to us much is given. The last two gifts are perhaps the greatest of all. The blessings of becoming a “Grumpy Old Man” and the blessings of being an “Irrelevant Old Coot.”
The first is just pure, unadulterated fun! For once in our lives, we have the ability so say and do what we want. We can finally throw off the binders of correctness and decorum. We can tell Aunt Millie we really don’t like her sacred pickles; we wear the cloths we like in spite of what others think. We can actually stop shaving for as long as we like. If they don’t like it, too bad.
Being viewed is irrelevant also brings its own satisfactions. We can look admirably at a beautiful young woman without the appearance of leering. We can compliment someone on their looks and it is not thought inappropriate. We can even interact with children, an ability we have long desired but have been denied. We can enjoy them, talk to them, interact, play, and compliment then, even those we have just encountered, all without the risk of criminal accusations.
These blessings, like all others, are to be used for God’s glory; never to be abused. But they sure bring us irrelevant old grumps a new source of joy we haven’t had before.
All Glory is God’s.
Men often first notice this in our early thirties with loss of our cherished athletic abilities. Our slim, trim bodies begin to widen and we lose hair in some places but, disappointedly, grow it elsewhere. Little health issues appear, first quietly. The river of our life gradually dwindles to a trickle. Men know.
Towards the end of this process nearly all the gifts we so thoroughly enjoyed are lost. Careers end, political, social, and financial powers ebb and cherished family positions are delegated to others. This continues for years until near the end, it seems all is lost.
But wait! God has not forgotten His second blessings for us guys.
We may have lost much, but to us much is given. The last two gifts are perhaps the greatest of all. The blessings of becoming a “Grumpy Old Man” and the blessings of being an “Irrelevant Old Coot.”
The first is just pure, unadulterated fun! For once in our lives, we have the ability so say and do what we want. We can finally throw off the binders of correctness and decorum. We can tell Aunt Millie we really don’t like her sacred pickles; we wear the cloths we like in spite of what others think. We can actually stop shaving for as long as we like. If they don’t like it, too bad.
Being viewed is irrelevant also brings its own satisfactions. We can look admirably at a beautiful young woman without the appearance of leering. We can compliment someone on their looks and it is not thought inappropriate. We can even interact with children, an ability we have long desired but have been denied. We can enjoy them, talk to them, interact, play, and compliment then, even those we have just encountered, all without the risk of criminal accusations.
These blessings, like all others, are to be used for God’s glory; never to be abused. But they sure bring us irrelevant old grumps a new source of joy we haven’t had before.
All Glory is God’s.
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