I once attended a preparation meeting for an upcoming six-day bus trip. I was excited because this was the first outing of this type I’d ever taken. My daughters were a little concerned. They knew how difficult it was for me to walk and breathe at the same time. And honestly, there would be more walking than I had hoped for.
I came home a little discouraged but determined. This trip was on my bucket list. I went and had a wonderful time. At eighty-one, I can’t just sit still and wait to go to heaven. I want to experience life and live it to the fullest while here. Discouraged? A little. Determined? A lot.
The following morning, with a cup of coffee, I opened my online Christian Devotion Ministries to read the verse that says God is renewing us inwardly daily. What a blessing from God. He renews each of us and lets us know He is working to strengthen and improve us.
As we struggle with aging, we must watch, wait for, and welcome the Lord’s words in our lives. We must also thank Him for that renewal. Daily, we step out into our inward renewal. We may be wasting away outwardly, but we can live life to the fullest inwardly.
Our bucket lists will not be identical, but we all have one. Read a specific book, watch a movie, have coffee with friends, or visit a relative whom you miss seeing. Pick an item from that list. Then plan to celebrate crossing it off as you make it happen. Expect to be renewed.
Susan Paulus is the mother of three adult daughters and grandmother to nine and has been married for over 60 years. She loves her part-time job at her small church in Northwest Ohio, is challenged by the two writers' groups she attends, and loves remembering she was led to the Lord in the mid 1970's by a woman who prayed, "Lord, use me."