I'm feeling

slightly older these days.

In the past

year, I gained my third teenager and my second teenage

driver. Oh, my aching auto insurance!

And now

we're celebrating another first at our house - our

first high school graduate. My oldest daughter, Rebecca,

is a member of the class of 2000. How did those 18 years

fly by so fast?

It seems

like just yesterday we brought that tiny bundle of joy

home from Northside Hospital. And now she's preparing to

go to college this fall.

I realize

that's the way life is supposed to be, but the

sentimental in me wants to stop the clock and hold on to

this moment before she's grown and gone. But time marches

on, seasons change, and we turn the calendar pages faster

than we used to.

We're not

getting any younger. That's not all bad. In fact, the

Bible refers to age as an honor. When Abraham died, the

writer stated that Abraham died "in a good old age, an old man and

full of years" (Gen. 25:8). Proverbs 16:31 reads,

"The silver-haired head is a crown of glory if it is

found in the way of righteousness."

Check out

Leviticus 19:32, Proverbs 3:1-2 and Proverbs 20:29.

Growing

older does get interesting. My kids think I have a slight

hearing loss and my lower back hurts more often. I can't

move in the outfield like I use to. As one fellow put it,

"I can

live with my arthritis,

My dentures

fit me fine.

I can see

through my bifocals,

But I sure

do miss my mind."

I ran

across some interesting indicators that help us know when

we are getting old. You

know you're getting older when :

Y ou sink your teeth into a steak and

they stay there.

You and your teeth don't

sleep together.

You try to straighten out

the wrinkles in yours socks and discover you're not

wearing any.

At the breakfast table, you

hear snap, crackle, pop, and you're not eating cereal.

Your back goes out, but you

stay home.

You wake up looking like

your driver's license picture.

It takes two tries to get

up from the couch.

You say something to your

kids that your mother used to say to you and you always

hated it.

Your idea of weightlifting

is standing up.

Your address book is filled

with names that start with Dr.

You sit in a rocking chair

and cannot get it going.

It takes twice as long to

look half as good.

Everything hurts, and what

doesn't hurt doesn't work.

You finally get your head

together and your body starts falling apart.

The little old ladies start

helping you cross the street.

Your idea of a night out is

sitting outside on the patio.

It takes longer to rest

than it did to get tired.

Your memory is shorter and

your complaining lasts longer.

You begin scanning the

obituaries to find eligible women.

I don't

know about all of that, but I think that a fruitful old

age is the result of a lifetime of preparation. We need

to learn to make the most of the time (Eph. 5:16) each

and every day.

The Rev.

Dr. David L. Chancey is pastor of McDonough Road Baptist

Church in Fayetteville.