Getting Better With Age: A Healthy Perspective

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by Phylis Clay Sparks

                In the words of William Shakespeare, “Some people never seem to grow old. Always active in thought, always ready to adopt new ideas, they are never chargeable to fogyism. Satisfied yet ever dissatisfied, settled yet ever unsettled, they always enjoy the best of what is, and are the first to find the best of what will be.” Well said. Some people know how to savor the newness of each present moment. In fact, some people seem to get better with age. Who are these people?
                These are the people who know how to feed their spirit and nurture their soul.  They’re the ones who have stepped out of fear and into the adventure of living with an inner strength to deal with the ups and downs of life. So many people think that in order to have strength you must have a strong ego. But that’s just what you don’t need. Norman Vincent Peale said, “People with humility don’t think less of themselves, they just think of themselves less.” The point is, it’s healthy to feel good about yourself — just don’t get carried away with it.
                It’s been said that ego is an acronym for “edging God out.” When we live in fear, we edge God out and there’s nothing left to depend upon except ego. When our ego sees itself as the center of the universe and gets puffed up with its own importance, it loses touch with the soul and the spirit begins to contract. That’s when we don’t think clearly, our emotions become addicted to the need to control and demand, and we desperately resist change. 
                Everything in our physical world is in a constant state of change and evolution, and nothing is intrinsically and invincibly young except our spirit and soul. When we feed our spirit and nurture our soul, we radiate the light of youthfulness no matter what age we are in human terms. How can we feed our spirit? By giving, forgiving and living life to the fullest. By allowing the light of spirit to radiate through every thought, feeling, belief and action. In every one of us there is a spark of the divine that has access to an unlimited reservoir of creativity, energy, love, joy, strength and wisdom. When we tap into that, we get better with age.

                Phylis Clay Sparks is the author of Soul-Esteem: The Power of Spiritual Confidence. She is also the Spiritual Director of The Soul-Esteem Center, a non-religious spiritual community devoted to demonstrating the power of a loving God in their everyday lives.

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