When granted many years of life, growing old in age is natural

In the great cycle of life, where the seasons come and go, there is an inescapable truth: with the passing of time, all things grow older. Yet, as the wise preacher Billy Graham reminds us, "When granted many years of life, growing old in age is natural, but growing old with grace is a choice." It is a profound statement that speaks to the sacred nature of aging—a natural process that is neither to be feared nor avoided, but one that can be embraced with dignity, wisdom, and grace. To age is to live, to endure, and to learn. But to age with grace is to walk through the years with a spirit that transcends the mere passage of time.

The ancients understood the significance of grace—not as a fleeting quality, but as a deep, abiding force that shapes the soul. In their wisdom, they often spoke of those who lived with honor and virtue, whose lives were marked not by the fear of aging, but by the embrace of it. Socrates, for instance, lived his later years in humble wisdom, unafraid of the toll that time took on his body, for he knew that true beauty lay not in the physical form, but in the mind and spirit. His legacy teaches us that growing old in wisdom is natural, but the grace with which one faces the years is something that must be cultivated through choice, effort, and a deeper connection to the divine.

Billy Graham, in his reflection, speaks of growing old with grace as not merely a matter of chance or circumstance, but of will. It is a choice, he says, for all who will set their hearts and minds on the Giver of grace, on the Lord Jesus Christ. What a powerful call this is—to look to the divine source for the strength and wisdom to age with grace. For grace is not a commodity to be earned, but a gift—a divine gift that enables one to face the inevitable decline of the body with a spirit of peace, love, and compassion. The great saints of history, from Mother Teresa to Saint Augustine, embodied this truth. Though they grew frail with age, their spirits remained vibrant, their hearts full of compassion, and their minds ever-focused on the divine. Their grace was not given to them by the world, but by the divine spirit they nurtured throughout their lives.

Consider, too, the story of Moses, the great leader of the Israelites, who in his later years was still filled with strength, vision, and purpose. Though his body aged, his heart did not grow weary. His wisdom was not the result of his own prowess, but of his constant communion with the divine. It is said that even in his old age, when he led the people to the promised land, his eyes were not dim, nor his strength diminished. He had lived in service to the Lord, and his aging was marked not by despair, but by a deep, abiding grace—a grace that comes only from walking with the Creator of all things. Billy Graham invokes this same divine grace, teaching us that by aligning ourselves with the divine, we too can grow old with purpose and peace.

But how, you might ask, do we age with such grace? The answer lies in the heart. It is the heart that must be aligned with grace, and it is the heart that must seek to understand the deeper truths of life. Grace is not just a state of being; it is a way of living. To grow old with grace is to accept the changes of the body without despair, to meet each day with gratitude, and to see every wrinkle and every gray hair as a mark of a life well-lived, of lessons learned, and of love given. It is in choosing to look beyond oneself, to live in service to others, and to keep one's mind focused on the eternal that we truly grow old with grace.

Thus, the lesson here is clear: aging with grace is a choice—a choice that requires humility, faith, and love. It is not something given to us by the world, nor something that comes easily. Grace is the gift of the divine, and it is ours to receive when we open our hearts to it. So let us choose to age with dignity and purpose, not focusing on what we have lost, but on what we have gained. Let us set our hearts on the Giver of grace, and in doing so, we will find that with each passing year, our hearts grow not just older, but wiser, kinder, and more beautiful.

Practical action, then, calls us to embrace the truth of grace in our daily lives. Seek connection with the divine through prayer, meditation, or acts of service. Live each day with purpose, knowing that every moment is a gift. And when the years add up, when the body grows frail, let us remember the words of Billy Graham: we do not grow old simply with time, but with a conscious choice to live with grace, rooted in the love and wisdom of the divine. Let this be the path we walk, for in choosing grace, we find peace not only in our final years but throughout the whole of our lives.