I find myself in a reflective mood as another year comes calling. Bidden or not, the years pass. While I can do little to ebb the tide of increasing years, I hope to garner a few nuggets of wisdom and insight to carry into my 54th year.

We all do it…stand in front of the mirror to assess what new “gifts” the new year has bestowed upon our unwitting faces. They say the eyes are the mirrors to the soul. Well, that’s all fine and good, but my vanity wishes my smile lines had just a little less to reflect…wink, wink!

Over the past year I decided to fully embrace my natural gray hair. For me, the transition was from dark to light, which has required a considerable amount of patience and waiting. So, I guess I can say this birthday is the gateway into the lighter years.

Nuggets Of Wisdom

I’ve often heard people associate gray hair with wisdom. Well, I can definitely say that this past year has taught me that it takes a lot more than gray hair to consistently walk in wisdom.

Wisdom is found when lessons are learned and experiences become fuel for greater insight and empathy…when the essence of your character rests more in who you are than in what you say.

I’ve seen a lot in my five-plus decades, which leads me to the firm conclusion that I don’t possess answers to any of the world’s problems. But, I’m so grateful to know a God who does and He’s given me some pretty clear instructions for life and living.

The older I get, the more I appreciate how simple God makes things for me. He whittled everything down to two simple things…love Him and love my neighbor. He sifted it all down to the L word, L-O-V-E.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’³¹ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^[b] There is no commandment greater than these.”

Mark 12: 30-31

Aging hasn’t lowered my threshold for opinions…yep, I’ve got a lot of those. And, if I’m not careful (and I do mean mindfully, day-by-day, careful) those opinions can steal my joy and perspective. But, the wisdom of my 54 years forces me to ask myself, “Shellie, will everyone who hears my opinions feel the love?” If my answer is no, then I know the only place for my soapbox is before an audience of one.

God’s not in the business of changing minds, so why in the world do I think I should be? Instead, He goes straight for hearts, because when those truly change…ahhhh, now there’s some true wisdom for me to wrap my life around and stand firmly upon.

~ Shellie

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