No, I'm NOT a Grandma!

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away,

our inner self is being renewed day by day.

2 Corinthians 4:16

For the last time...NO! I'm NOT a grandma...now turn that music down and sit up straight!

Seriously though, is it possible that I look older than I think I do? 

Apparently, it is!   Because just today, I was shopping with my 2 little ones at Goodwill (the only place I shop), and a worker says to me:  "Oh, your grandkids are so cute."  I politely said, "Thank you, but these are my kids." 

I walked away angry.  I walked away totally offended.  Instead of focusing on the compliment about my kids (I mean, grandkids) being cute, I walked away feeling so upset at the fact that this lady actually thought I could be a grandma!!! 

How insulting!  How horrifying!  How....wait a minute...who is that old lady over there? 

 

Oh wait a minute, that is me.  That's my reflection in the mirror.  Really?  Is that what I look like?  Oh maybe she does have a point.  I do look old today.  Wait a minute...mathematically I guess it is absolutely possible for me to be a grandma.  So she's actually not too far off. 

So, why does this comment offend me so much? 

I don't know.  I really need to work on this, because it's not the first time someone has mistaken me for a grandma and unfortunately, it seems that it's not going to be the last. 

Either way, I want to embrace this whole aging thing, and like the bible says, whether I like to admit it or not, my outer self is in fact wasting away, but what God is doing with me on the inside is amazing.  Every day I get older means that every day, my inner self is being renewed...remodeled...restored and ready to serve Him in this world. 

Would I go back to my younger self again? 

Well...for my youthful face, non-stretched out tummy, non-wrinkly skin, non-gray hair...I'll admit, it's tempting.  I do love that young girl...only 26 years old in this picture...newly married...no kids...looking ahead at what life is going to bring her.  She has no clue what's to come.  Part of me envies her.  Most of me does not.  

I know what's on the inside of that young girl...so insecure...so unsure of God's love for her...so unclear and unfocused on her purpose in life...and so many doubts and fears about her worthiness. 

So, no...I would not go back again.  (Other than to tell her not be so insecure about her body because it only goes downhill from there especially after the wear and tear of carrying 3 kids!)  I would also thank her.  She is the reason why I am the person I am today.  She is the reason I have so many stories and testimonies about God's unconditional love.  She is the reason I am strong and courageous and more confident and less selfish.  She is the reason that I know who I am.  She is the reason that I have grown to be this woman who can stand before you and exclaim that God loves me...flaws, wrinkles and all!  

God loves this grandma! 

Just for fun and to help us all laugh about getting older, I thought of 4 ways to know that you're getting old.

YOU KNOW YOU'RE GETTING OLD WHEN:

1.  The host of the Tonight Show is younger than you are!

2.  You have actually said, "Turn that music down!"  or thought "I wish they would turn down that music!"

3.  The actress who played the Wicked Witch of the West is younger than you are!  (Seriously, she was only 37 when she played that role!!!)

4.  You would rather stay in and watch a Lifetime movie than go out any day of the week and twice on Sunday!

Add yours in the comments below! 

Father, thank You for the aging process.  Thank you that even though our bodies get older, You renew us.  You are constantly working on us and helping us to become all that You have created us to be.  Thank You that with each day that comes, we are wiser...we are more mature...we are more ready to do all that You ask us to do.  Thank You for our past.  Thank You for the journey that we've been on.  Thank You that through every struggle...through every challenge, we have grown and have become more secure in who we are and in how much You love us!  Be with us as we continue down our path in life even if we do look like a grandma.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

To my Readers:  This post is not a plea for everyone to tell me that I don't look like a grandma!  Nor is it a plea for people to tell me how young I look.  Nor is it meant to offend anyone who is a grandma (especially those that are my age--I know several.)  It really is just about embracing aging and that's all.  :-)