Mellowing with Age

We don't hear the phrase "mellow out" much anymore. The process of mellowing with age is to become or make somebody more easygoing or to become more good-humored, tolerant, and approachable, or make somebody become so. To mellow also means to increase in or give something richness: to become richer, smoother, or softer in taste, color, tone, or atmosphere, or make something become so.

 

How sad it is that the longer many people walk with Christ they do just the opposite. They get bitter, hurtful, brash, arrogant, insulting, difficult, hard to get along with, etc. What a shame many of us bring to Christ and His kingdom by using age as an excuse to get mean. I believe some people get old quicker because they want to be mean. But not me. I refuse to let my age make me agitated. I want to learn how to "mellow out" even more so the older that I get.

 

My precious dad died when he was 57 years old. He gave his life for the church, and I mean literally gave his life for the church. There were times when people did him wrong, churches did him wrong, even overseers that did him wrong, but he refused to let bitterness rule his life. When he went home to be with the Lord he was pastoring the Clyde Church of God right outside of Hartsville, SC and was probably the happiest I had seen him in years. He refused to let all the hurts of the past affect him, the lack of promotions, or even his physical difficulty stop him from enjoying life. In other words, he stayed mellow until the Lord took him home.

 

Well, if I make it to September 1 I will be 58. I have to admit after the past year I wasn't to sure I'd even see 57. I had my 4th heart attack this past July and was back in the hospital again just 3 days after my 57th birthday this year threatening a stroke after a run-in with a disgruntled member. In fact, I really thought I was dying that night. But God is good and he took care of me and I'm still here today.

 

You know I love this denomination that I am in, but it's not worth dying over because it's man made. I would die for Christ, I would die for my family, but I refuse to allow any other person or member of my church put me in that kind of a place again. I will love the flock put under my charge and do the best job I can for them, but I refuse to tolerate junk any longer that would get me upset. I have decided that I want to mellow with age and not crumble with drought.

 

How about you?