Staying Young as Your Family Grows Older, Part 1

Today Chuck Swindoll on staying young to be 75 years ago. Better than being 45 years old because I've noticed that some or all 45 others at 75 never quite been able to figure that out.

It is very sometimes appear to be 45 youthfulness merely an optical illusion or can we truly overcome the aging process today on Insight for living. Chuck Swindoll suggests that our attitude plays a major role in his premise comes not from his own opinion, timeless principles found in the Bible like something you'd like to pursue. During the next half-hour Chuck will cite several Old Testament stories illustrate this promising outcome staying young and your family grows older or something delightful and carefree about being young Sandra Taylor Coleridge shortly before his death, wrote a little piece called youth and age, and if there is a line not care this body for winter weather. When you said I lived in it together. My question is why must that attitude stop or is the culprit who passed the edict that growing older is a playing that all gray and white hair should be dyed brown or black. Where is the culprit.

What is there about leaving one's 50s that makes one uneasy about saying he or she is entering the 60s or the 70s or the 80s is a huge thing, especially for women, women sometimes do funny math I thought of it when I read the dialogue the other day between the woman and the census taker, your age, please.

He asked well so the woman let me figure this out. I was 18 when married and my husband was 30 is now 60 or twice as old as he was back then.

So that means I'm not 36 not realistic enough to know that age comes on fast. It's like the statement, it's a quick slide from bikinis to estrogen is 1 Way Go Rd. when you wake up and discover your waterbed had a leak and realize later you don't have a water bed when resisting temptation is not nearly as hard as recognizing when the airline person offers you coffee TR milk of magnesia you know you're getting old. Why should getting old bother anybody, especially if were still healthy and able to get around. Satchel Paige always one of my favorite baseball players because he never paid any attention to how old he was, and everybody else talked about it and he never did. I'm not sure even knew how old he was. And even when he got to pass what was called the retirement years for baseball players. He was still pitching that baseball somebody finally interviewed him and said, hey, such what's your philosophy on agencies set up really simple.

Age is a question of mind over matter you don't mind. You don't matter a lot on Amos Alonzo Stagg was the founder of American football and he lived a long time.

In fact, when he was at 102 and was living in a rest home. One of the local sportscasters heard where he was located and decided to do an interview with this hundred and two-year-old very sharp and quick witted man so I set out with this camera and he interviewed him and took a few photos and so stimulated by it. He said as he finished, you know, Mr. Stagg, I hope I can come back next year and do this when you're 103 Stagg said you look pretty healthy to me. I think you'll make it always like this meant to be 75 years young is far better than being 45 years old because I've noticed that some are older at 45 than others at 75 never quite been able to figure that out. Henry David Thoreau put it well not are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm. It is your age if you had nobody cares how old you are except you.

And if you don't mind it. No matter so quit talking about your age start demonstrating enthusiasm by the way, your family would love it if you'd listen closely today. I haven't talked to them.

I just know families and some of you are getting low crotchety little hard to live with and that like you to knock it off so they would say listen to Chuck today. This is going to help you. Let's start with attitudes that just demoralize us as we begin to age. Whatever age that it the first attitude is uselessness. Uselessness says I am over the hill get in everybody's way. Why am I still around John Gardner, the German poet once wrote a useless life is an early death. Don't go there uselessness is a bad attitude to carry with you and you will die before you die. Second attitude is self-pity, self-pity says nobody cares about more Watson about her stay alive or in touch. What was me invariably leads to blame, blame leads to bitterness and bitterness. Lead your family to say how long as grandma stay in this time.

How long are the why did we say would bring it with us on a vacation then remind you there is major attitude third is fear. This is a very common one among those getting older. This attitude says I need to be very careful. I need to avoid all dangers and all risk. This can quickly lead to a suspicious spirit and a suspicious spirit leads quickly to paranoia. When I use the word paranoid. I remember the words of one wag said just because you're not paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you a life. Fear is a thief. It steals our joy, and it robs us of peace.

Fear is the most devastating of all emotion. Someone once wrote, if you're afraid, chances are good you'll draw your blinds and lock your door and lock it and lock it and lock it yet again. No go there. Perhaps the most devastating of the four is the attitude of guilt mixed with regret. This attitude is forever. Looking back with a sigh, saying if if if only if only I hadn't, but if only I had and then you finish the sent guilt, regret, feed, disappointment, and discouragement. It's like the little Pro-Am across the fields of yesterday. He sometimes comes to me a little lead just back from play.

The boy I used to be.

He smiles at me so wistfully when once he's crept with in it is as though he had hoped to see the man of my you can read that without a sigh, the man is caught up in guilt and regret to all of us who are grandparents and to all of you who will be there is so much we can do that is useful and helpful, and necessary in this whole world, our families definitely need. As I think back to my own family. My grandfather was always younger than my father. My dad was old when I was born and I just made him older as I live my life but I never seemed to make my granddad older, though he was many years senior to my dad.

My granddad lived on the edge. Life was exciting, enthusiastic, fun to play catch with my dad one time and he got winded after about the fourth pitch and then I wish my granddad had been there was my granddad taught me how to handle a motorboat my granddad taught me how to drive.

Never forget driving that 39 forward into the garage and Ocampo turn off the front fender. My granddad never moved. He said just back up and tried again Sunday. My new fenders. I came by new grandson stride again is my granddad. What a magnificent memory. Grandparents the youth were told to honor us. Let's give them a reason to do it. Let's don't expect it without reading it.

There's a reason they don't and it may not be their fault. It's time for an attitude adjustment is time for us to take a real swift look at an attitude, a fellow named Caleb possessed from his early years through his middle years, and right up to his last years. It wasn't attitude of fortitude and attitude of gratitude, an attitude of faith, can-do spirit that's Caleb Joshua chapter 14 when you work through the younger years of his life.

You see that he was positive even though the majority of others around him were he was. They said we can't.

He said we can.

They said we ought not.

He said we must they said it's impossible. He said there is no such word with God. He was that he was positive that the age of 40 and then when emitted from €40-€85 45 years. Oh, what a journey that was full of deaths whole generation is very he helped in some of those funerals.

I'm sure Andy just kept on living kept on anticipating kept on thinking we are about to take the land.

We will take the land and then when he reaches 85 and the land is been taken. He can't wait to take on the Mount, the first of the mountain man is Kaylee in his middle years.

He's determined in his later years.

He's confident. I mean who doesn't want granddad like that. Tell me how to live like that and I can't spend enough time with you. Caleb's contagious story is contained in this little section of Joshua 14 right out of the chute you find Caleb positive 14 six of Joshua the sons of Judah drew near to Joshua in Gill gal and Caleb the son of Jeff and the cam. As I said to Joshua you know the word which the Lord spoke to Moses, the man of God concerning you and me and Kelly's were Neil remember that Joshua hi I was 40 years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from candidates to spy out the land and I brought back word to him as it was in my heart.

We need to look at that, so hold your place here and go to numbers chapter 13 verse one the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, send out for yourself man so that they may spy out the land of Canaan, which I am going to get to the sons of Israel. You shall send a man from each of their father's tribe, every one a leader among them. Remember another all leaders there. All leaders of their tribes. So Moses sent them from the wilderness up around at the command of the Lord, all of them men who were heads of the sons of Israel. Verse six from the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jeff and the other names were here. I can't pronounce them so I'll let you read the drop down to verse 2525. When they returned from spying out the land so they go on in the land they look at all the things that are in front of them did not yet taken the land they're going to study the crops there to check out the location of the cities. The ghetto notice the enemy either to Sigmund Doolittle a plan strategy on on what they ought to do when they take the land and so they come back with even samples of the produce they bring grapes and they bring pomegranates and they bring other things and they show them this is really a fertile land. 25. When they returned from spying out the land at the end of 40 days. They proceeded to come to Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the sons of Israel in the wilderness (a kiddush and they brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land.

I imagine this in your mind, your 12 diets got all of this stuff there, bring them back from their trip. Thus, they told him said we went into the land where you sent us. And it certainly does flow with milk and honey in this is its fruit. Nevertheless, here it comes here at Nevertheless the people who live in the land are strong cities are fortified very large.

Moreover, we saw the descendents of a nightmare and Amalek is living in the land. By the way, these are the early basketball players. The Amalekites were the 7 foot tall, 768 foot 67 almost huge guys and I miss all these enemies like Giants. He said we were like grasshoppers in their eyes. So verse 29 Amalek is living in the land of the negative and the Hittites and the Jebusites and Amorites termites. They're all living in the hill country and the nights are living by the sea about the side of the Jordan cadences stop it. Be quiet. Looking Caleb stand tall. He's only 40 years old. He's outnumbered tempted to Joshua the only two that have eyes of faith. Caleb quieted the people said we should by all means go up and take possession of it. We shall surely overcome it. You want to go.

Did you see the same thing as other 10 people so yeah do you realize those guys are big now and he would say you have big God is given Giants of Zap compared to a universal size God.

It is about the enemies. God said he would give us the software we send it with her face hanging out worried about a few enemies hidden away in fortified cities.

Let's get an attitude of fortitude and take him on the manhood gone up with him said, we are not able to go up against the people there too strong for us. It isn't about us.

Caleb think about our God doing this for us is not our battle so they gave onto the sons of Israel.

Verse 32. A bad report every bit of the crowd in an office like that were bad news starts to spread little negative attitude crops up at the water fountain before you know it you can hardly do your work on your computer you so overcome with the negative spirit and grousing of a few people. In fact, maybe a lot of people ever stood against that Caleb they said we can't do it. In fact, look, the universe, 32, the land through which we have gone in spying it out as a land devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great size there we saw the naphthalene sons of a knack and we became like grasshoppers in our own site doing and looking at them so grasshoppers in our own site will sure your dodo you're not tall like they are not about you.

Can God handle Giants can God handle land filled with Canaanites. That's why Caleb says what he does in verse six, verse six, chapter 14, Joshua the son of nun and Caleb the son of Jeff and those with spot on the land tour there close and they spoke to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, saying, the land which we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. The Lord is pleased with us that he will bring us into the land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey, don't rebel, don't focus on what can't be done. Think of our do not fear the people of the land, for they shall be our prey is not a great answer therapist. Their protection has been removed from them. The Lord is with us. Do not fear that all the car geisha floating I know I don't say that verse 10. They said let's start with strong homeboy. How's that for a great response.

You know why because negativism always gets the nod over the positive spirit negative thinking will always get the majority's attention. That's why the evening news is that I can tell you it's almost sunny. The intelligence partly cloudy, but I could tell you how great things were happening over there in Orlando. They'll tell you about mudslide in the Malibu why because that's what gets your attention.

That's what sells newspapers. That's what the people want to hear unless of course your Caleb who refuses it not go back to Joshua 14 Caleb is remembering back when he was 49 EP doesn't change. I want you to stay with this don't drift stay with the thought here is Caleb. He's lived through the next 45 years, as the Lord removes these people from the planet. If you can't silence them to kill them, basic idea okay and you remove him from not not in your office. I don't have that in mind when you're the Lord you don't want that kind of attitude you say get rid of its cartons.

So guess what Caleb for the next 45 years is burying his peers on looking thought about a month. That's thousands and thousands of funerals one after another after another all these carcasses are littering the journey as they wander in the wilderness teaching the Israelites a lesson that Caleb was right. Caleb said you know I never I never let it affect my attitude. Look at verse nine Moses, so Moses swore on that day through the land where your foot is trodden shall be an inheritance for you.

Numbers 10 now behold the Lord is let me live just as he spoke these 45 years. Love it. From the time the Lord spoke this word to Moses when Israel walked in the wilderness and now behold, I am 85 verse 11 on the heels of giving than his age look at what he says I'm still as strong today as I was the day Moses sent me. I live there's no wimpy.

Woe is me attitude. He says I'm strong for going out, coming in for warfare. Given country not referring to Kerrville or Bernie but generally the Giants are you going you you you gotta love a guy like this while driving my out will drive about as the Lord has spoken.

It's it's not impossible. Don't tell me it's impossible.

Which reminds me, according to the theory of aerodynamics, as may be readily demonstrated through wind tunnel experiments. The bumblebee is unable to fly.

This is because the size, weight and shape of his body in relation to the total wing spread makes flying impossible. But the bumblebee never read the report being ignorant of the scientific truth, he just goes ahead and flies. Anyway know what else I am impressed with Caleb is not whining because he wasn't chosen to be the leader. God chose Joshua to be the leader thought about that. I mean today here well human resources know about this decision.

I stood strong just like Joshua did I come. Joshua gets one we have coleaders they didn't leave the Exodus by a committee and they're not in the lead the invasion Varco leadership. It's Joshua and Caleb goes now you talking let's go listening to Insight for living subject at hand. Today staying young as your family grows older. This is the final message in Chuck Swindoll's practical eight part series marriage from surviving to thriving and to learn more about this ministry. Be sure to visit us online@insightworld.org now marriage is one of the topics included in the popular book trucks written by the same title as this series so if you're ready to dig deeper on your own, or you'd like to pass this onto adult children who are in the throes of cultivating their own marriage. We invite you to purchase a copy of Chuck's book marriage from surviving to thriving by visiting Insight.org/offer. If you're looking for a way to listen to Chuck preach be glad to learn that just a few weeks ago, Chuck presented a time sensitive two-part series to his congregation in Frisco, Texas. One of his messages was designed to help us look back at 2021. The other was designed to help us look forward into 2022. Response to Chuck's online sermons was well received. So much so that we decided to offer both audio or free of charge to anyone.

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Swindoll describes how to stay young is your family grows older Friday Insight for living.

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