BY SHILA ANDERSON
I never really understood the term “aging gracefully” until the other day. Interestingly, you can find all kinds of tips and tricks on the Internet on how to age gracefully. There are creams and toners, Spanx, hair dyes and waxes, and even surgery and injections to help us to age gracefully. But, they have it all wrong. I believe the true key to aging gracefully is having grace with ourselves as we age.
I was just chatting with a good friend, and she told me she recently had Botox injections. She also had Cool Sculpting done to help freeze away stubborn fat. That made me sad. I would never think that she would need that done.
As I get older, I see an increase in wrinkles, cellulite, varicose veins and smile lines. But saying that, I know that comes with getting older, and I want to embrace my age. I will do my part to take care of myself, but I can’t make my looks be all that I focus on. I’m not a teenager anymore and shouldn’t expect to have the body like one. I want to love myself, with each passing year, just the way I am.
So, why do we think we need to alter the way we look? Where are we getting these negative views of ourselves? Are we listening to negative comments, either from others or from ourselves? Is it the magazines or the shows with all the famous, skinny, beautiful women? News Flash Ladies – they get paid to look like that! They have makeup artists fixing them up. We need to remember that it’s their job to look good! Are we comparing ourselves to others? I know I personally will never be as fit as the running moms, that’s just not me. So, I can’t compare myself to them, especially if I’m not willing to do what they do in order to be that physically fit.
“But they are only comparing themselves with each other, using themselves as the standard of measurement. How ignorant!” – 2 Corinthians 10:12
Let’s look at ourselves through God’s eyes. How does He see us? He is the King of Kings, and we are His daughter. That makes us a Princess! He says we are “fearfully and wonderfully made.” We have been knit together in our mother’s womb. We are loved . . . just the way we are.
I want to be the kind of woman that is happy swimming in public with my kids, instead of being concerned about how I look in a bathing suit. I want to be the woman that doesn’t stress over which picture to post on Facebook based on how good I look in it. I want to be the woman with smile lines because you know what, I like to smile. I want to be real. I want to be me. I am blessed, I am happy, and I am beautiful.
I hope that you too will have the grace to love yourself, just the way you are. No matter how old you are, let’s make a pact that together we can give ourselves grace to age. Come on ladies, age gracefully along with me!
“Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be.” – Robert Browning