Spiritual Reminders from Our Aging Bodies

I was stopped at a red light, waiting for the left turn signal. With nothing better to do, I read the bumper stickers on the car in front of me. One caught my eye: “Humans are spiritual beings in physical bodies.” I needed to think about that!

I turned left, drove home, and Googled the quote. It turned out it was a bumper sticker version of Teillard de Chardin’s observation that “we are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a physical experience.” I might not have expressed it as Teillard did, but as I age I am increasingly aware that my body is very much a part of my spiritual experience. Some days this is good news. Some days, not so good.

Most of my life my body has served me well. My body gave birth to my children and helped me raise them. My body has taken me to work, to church, and to play. My body led me into ministry, taking me to conferences where I could either speak or receive teaching. I am grateful for my body.

But as we age, our bodies change. We often have less energy and more aches and pains. We have more doctor’s appointments. We may face a debilitating disease or broken body parts. Scientists tell us we have a decrease in dopamine, acetylcholine, serotonin, and norepinephrine activity. I’m not sure what all those things are, but I know I didn’t ask for this to happen.

The changes in my body are raising a conundrum for me. What do I do when my body is no longer as supportive as it once was? How can I nurture my soul when my physical experience is so disappointing? And what do I do when I blame myself for the unchosen changes in my body? If my body is changing, does that mean my spiritual life is changing too?

How can I nurture my soul when my physical experience is so disappointing?

Reconsidering How to Live Now

I am thankful that my body is the “temple of the Holy Spirit within” me (1 Cor 6:19, NRSV). The “clay jar” of my body contains the treasure of my faith and ministry (2 Cor 4:7, NRSV). I am thankful that the Apostle Paul reminds us that though “our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day” (2 Cor 4:16, NRSV). God is inviting me in this season of life to listen to what is happening in my body in order to hear how these changes might lead to renewal in my soul.

This invitation from God looks different for each of us. Each experience on the spiritual journey is uniquely personal, to say nothing of how our bodies are all different. Some older people still travel the world. Others finally get a neglected college degree. Some of my friends (God bless them!) have yearly grandparent camps for their flock of grandchildren. I admit that I am jealous of people who can do those things. But I sense that some friends are a bit envious of me because I like to stay home and be quiet with my family. We all age differently.

That said, there are similarities among us. As we navigate the aging journey between our physical and our spiritual experiences, many of us find ourselves shouting at our bodies to try harder, push on, get it done. Meanwhile, we probably hear our souls whispering reminders to slow down, accept our physical limitations, and live more peacefully. We may identify with Jesus’ friend Martha, who chose to run around doing important things to get a meal ready for him. Her sister Mary sat at Jesus’ feet, visiting with their guest. When Martha complained that she was doing all the work, Jesus said, “Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part” (Luke 10:38-42, NRSV).

I wish Jesus had been more specific about the “one” thing and the “better” part. His silence reflects what he said to the disciples: “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth” (John 16:12,13, NRSV). Maybe Jesus wasn’t more specific with Martha because she couldn’t “bear” it that day. In my own life, the Holy Spirit is revealing things now that I couldn’t have learned in my younger years. Growing older has given me clarity about “better” ways to live.

In my own life, the Holy Spirit is revealing things now that I couldn’t have learned in my younger years. Growing older has given me clarity about “better” ways to live.

God’s Invitation to Simplify

The word that describes God’s invitation to me about how to live with my diminishing body and still nourish my soul is to simplify. I feel like I am moving out of a house I have lived in for decades. I need to sort through all the things that I have loved and keep only what is good for this season of life. Surprisingly, as I downsize, I find that I need to let go of some of my default spiritual practices that have served me well for years. Specifically, God is inviting me to change the way I read Scripture and even the way I pray.

As a younger person, I read through the Bible—many times. I was in countless Bible studies. I worked hard to apply biblical truths to the practical aspects of my life. I am deeply grateful for all that I learned. Now God is inviting me to a way of experiencing Scripture that reflects the fruit of those years of study. The Spirit is reminding me that God has already put the law in my mind and written it on my heart (Jeremiah 31:33,34). God is reminding me that his word speaks to me in this season “not because (I) do not know the truth, but because (I) do know it” (1 John 2:21,NRSV). In other words, I do not need to work as hard as I did when I was younger to know and experience the truth of Scripture.

Engaging with Scripture works best for me these days when I sit quietly in conversation with God about what is going on in my life. Some days I talk about my body. Some days I talk about my soul. I rarely plan ahead about what I am going to say or what Scripture I am going to read. I wait to see where the Holy Spirit leads me. I notice when a particular verse catches my attention. Even though it is a verse I have read before, it is alive for me now in a new way (Hebrew 4:12, NRSV). I stay with that verse for several days. The verse I am hearing is, simply put, the “one” thing I need to experience right now.

In these conversations where God is listening to me and I am listening to God, I am praying a little differently than I did when I was younger. I find myself less inclined to ask God to do something, fix something, or help me in ways that I deem necessary. Some days I just sit, like Mary, and try not to worry about what is going on in the kitchen. I wait. I listen. It doesn’t matter if I don’t know what to say. The Holy Spirit is praying for me with “sighs too deep for words” (Romans 8:26,27, NRSV).

I am learning that for me, these perspectives about Scripture and prayer are part of the next step on my own spiritual journey. When I compare notes with my aging friends, I notice that God transforms all of us in very personal ways. As we change, God extends compassion to each of us, guiding us to grow spiritually in our aging bodies in simple and grace-filled ways.

When I compare notes with my aging friends, I notice that God transforms all of us in very personal ways. As we change, God extends compassion to each of us, guiding us to grow spiritually in our aging bodies in simple and grace-filled ways.

I am thankful that God used a bumper sticker to remind me of that.

Practicing Simplicity in Scripture and in Prayer

Notice if one of the following verses especially speaks to you today. What is the Holy Spirit saying to you in this verse? What is your response to the Spirit? Do you have any questions? What word or idea do you want to remember from this verse for the next few days?

“We have everything we need to live a life that pleases God.”
2 Peter 1:3 (NIV)

“But if you’re content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself.”
Luke 14:11(MSG)

“. . .you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:29,30 (NRSV)