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I have discovered some wonderful advantages to growing older. Honestly, I can get away with so much more than I could when I was younger – and I have to say that I love it!

Like many of you, I have paid some heavy life dues. I am enjoying a refreshing freedom in what I say and do - as long as I say and do it in love and with integrity before God.

I am flat-out amazed by the fact that people value my advice. They actually think I know what I am doing. Hilarious! I know!

But I am thrilled to share the lessons and God-truths I have learned along the way, and I am also free to occasionally respond with a hearty “I don’t have a clue what you should do.” No guilt. No shame. Just being real.

Yes, I have aches and pains that I really could do without, but that is why God made drugs and doctors to dispense those drugs. God has gifted doctors and counselors because He knew we would need them. We live in broken bodies and dwell in a broken world. We must deal with the consequences of our frail humanity until Jesus comes back and takes us to heaven where He gives us our perfect, pain-free bodies for all eternity. Yes! I cannot wait, but until that day, I know He wants my feet to hit the floor each morning, ready to face and delight in whatever He has for me to do.

One of my current personal life goals is to royally tick off Satan whenever I can. Some days, his feeble tactics make me laugh and I respond with, “Seriously, that’s is? That’s all you’ve got?” Other days, I am on my face before God asking for strength to withstand the demonic attacks of hell itself. Either way, I win. I have read the whole Book … and we win! No matter how bad it gets here and now, we win for all of eternity.

I can say with authority that you probably will live through that crisis you are convinced will be the death of you. What defines you today may very well seem ridiculous in ten years or even ten days.

Foolishness will hopefully give way to wisdom gained the hard way. I now give myself permission to do or not do things I once would have felt compelled to do simply because it was someone’s expectation … and not God’s plan.

My audience for this race of life has certainly changed over the years. I no longer give credence to those people who delight in leering at me through the fish bowl, waiting and watching for me to fall and fail so they can feel better about their own faults and failures.

Those people are not my audience. My audience is God Himself – and He is crazy about me, cheering me on every step of the way. You see, angels dance simply because I exist. I am God’s creation – and so are you.

Yes, there are moments when I desperately want to turn back the clock. But then, I come to my senses and realize that there are many years of my life that I really do not want to revisit, and there is so much of my life now that I love. My life is certainly not perfect. But girlfriend, perfection is for heaven – not earth.

We have choices to make with every passing season of life.

We can hang on to past accomplishments, using them as an excuse to sit and sour, or we can seek God, asking and expecting Him to use us up in His Kingdom work.

We can rise each day to dance with joy simply because we know Him and He knows us, or we can focus on what is wrong in our lives and be miserable.

We can sing at the top of our lungs that God is more than enough for whatever comes our way, or we can sing the blues.

We can choose to give Him praise – even when it seems like there is nothing for which to praise Him, or we can sit down and let fear trample us in the dust of Satan’s hissings.

We can grow old in body, mind and spirit, or we can serve Him with passion and purpose until we take our last breath.

Culled from: Girlfriends in God