A CHILD SAYS, "I CAN'T WAIT TO GROW UP." The grandparent's response? "Oh, to be young again." You could say that age dissatisfaction knows no age. But this is nothing new. Complaints about one's number of years probably go back to the beginning of human history. Yet for perhaps just as long, sages have suggested that the key to satisfaction is to be focused on the now.
So many of the Bible's characters—young and old—unburdened themselves from age-related restrictions. What's interesting, though, is not necessarily the fact that they did this, but how or why they were able to do it. Their intention wasn't simply to make their lives better, nor did their accomplishments come through sheer will, Instead, what allowed these individuals to perform their tasks without regard to age was their recognition that God had called them to fulfill a specific mission, and that they were humbly willing to be God's instruments for this purpose. These higher motives empowered their ability to do greater work, but always under God's direction and with His help. For these individuals, the issue of age gave way to a greater desire to love God and their fellow human beings. And when they did, age ultimately proved to be irrelevant.
What allowed these Bible characters to perform their tasks without regard to age was their recognition that God had called them to fulfill a specific mission.
