Progress Made

I was reading over old writings today. From ten years ago to two years ago, and I had one of two responses.

1. God, I sound so young. If I'd only known THEN what I know now.
2. I've made a lot of progress. I'm proud of myself.

I think about what (St.) Paul said:

It's like this: when I was a child I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child does. But when I became a man my thoughts grew far beyond those of my childhood, and now I have put away the childish things. In the same way, we can see and understand only a little about God now, as if we were peering at his reflection in a poor mirror; but someday we are going to see him in his completeness, face to face.

I take that passage literally. I do believe in God. I am a theist, though I interpret the last bit of Paul's first letter to the Corinthians to mean that we will understand ourselves and each other a bit better as we age. It's already been true for me. I am looking forward to aging.

This is not to say that I'm yearning for a lower metabolism and more male pattern baldness then I already have, but my best times have come along as I have aged. May we look past this American obsession with youth and realize that growing old should be a blessing, not a curse.