31 Days of Words for the Daily Dash-Day 25

If you are a Christian, and the reality of these next words starts sinking in, this post may get your heart pounding like mine is right now. Honestly, I am having to make myself not laugh out loud for joy at this moment. I am sitting in Panera Bread, writing this while I wait for my youngest to finish soccer practice. With people all around, I'm trying to control myself. But it's difficult. This verse, 2 Corinthians 4:16, is so full, so hopeful, so good, so God.

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.

Being at midlife (literally, I turned 50 this year), I have been seeing a few hints that this body of mine is not going to last forever. Since life in this body is all I've known, that reality doesn't necessarily make me want to stand up and do a tap dance. Because my body's demise is a certainty, I must wrap my mind around it. I must come to terms with it if I want to keep from getting depressed about this non-forever body that will do nothing but get weaker for the however many years I have left.

That's where God's word comes in. Never pulling punches, God first tells it like it is. Our outer self is wasting away. And, he knows that that news causes us to lose heart. Knowing what encouraging words are coming, he can lead off with the confident statement, "so we do not lose heart." And then, the news that shatters any dismay. That tells me what is really going on with the real me. The real me, my inner self, is being renewed day by day.

Look up renewed in the dictionary, and you'll find that some good things are happening to the real you. One of the strongest definitions for renewed is: give fresh life or strength to. Pretty much the exact opposite of wasting away. Fresh life! Strength! When the truth of this verse is running through your mind as a recurring theme, telling you the truth of what is really happening to the real you, that keeps you going. That gives you hope. That puts a whole new spin on getting older. That puts on whole new spin on living. I want to remind myself of it - often.

All I can say to end is, "Wow, God. Thank you, thank you, for this. It's so full. So hopeful. So good. So You.