Are You Growing Up Or Just Growing Old? Series

ARE YOU GROWING UP OR GROWING OLD?

1 Peter 3:8-12

P.S. The barometer for growing old is the same for growing up, it is your ATTITUDE.

INTRODUCTION

A little girl sat in her granddads lap, and with the cuteness only a granddaughter could muster, asked

Granpy, are you old?

Grandpas reply was a quisitive, No, sweetie what makes you say that?

Little Susie responded, Because, your head is coming through your hair

Our society is addicted to youth. We will do anything, spend any amount of money and go anywhere just to maintain that youthful image.

I ead this week,’ the quest for eternal youth goes on. So does the urge to reduce, reshape, restore or -- a favorite buzzword on cosmetic surgery Web sites -- rejuvenate various body parts. Americans underwent more than 10 million cosmetic surgeries and body-modifying procedures last year. They spent nearly $12 billion on doctor fees alone.

No one wants to be thought of as being, OLD.

One of the famous quotes I have been hearing since turning 50 is, “ Growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional.’

Let’s be real, we are all getting older. You and I grew the same age over the last week. None of us have actually grown yonger. You can have liposuction, plastic surgery, hair replacement, but nothing will ever change the reality that we are advancing in age together.

And, let’s be honest IT’S PAINFUL.

The question I want to ask today is, are you growing up or just growing old?

How do you know if you are growing up? Does it mean our hair starts to turn grey? No, that means we’re growing older not necessarily wiser. There are lots of people who have gray hair but still act like thye are 16. Signs of aging do not necessarily mean we are showing signs of maturity.

So, are you growing up oir just old? What’s the difference?

You know you're getting old...

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1. You and your teeth don't sleep together.

2. Your try to straighten out the wrinkles in your socks and discover you aren't wearing any.

3. At the breakfast table you hear snap, crackle, pop and you're not eating cereal.

4. Your back goes out but you stay home.

5. When you wake up looking like your driver's license picture.

6. It takes two tries to get up from the couch.

7. When your idea of a night out is sitting on the patio.

8. When happy hour is a nap.

9. When you're on vacation and your ENERGY runs out before your money does.

10. When you say something to your kids that your mother said to You, and you always hated it.

11. When all you want for your birthday is to not be reminded of your age.

12. When you step off a curb and look down one more time to make sure the street is still there.

13. Your idea of weight lifting is standing up.

14. It takes longer to rest than it did to get tired.

15. Your memory is shorter and your complaining lasts longer.

16. Your address book has mostly names that start with Dr.

17. You sit in a rocking chair and can't get it going.

18. The pharmacist has become your new best friend.

19. Getting "lucky" means you found your car in the parking lot.

20. The twinkle in your eye is merely a reflection from the sun on your bifocals.

21. It takes twice as long - to look half as good.

22. Everything hurts, and what doesn't hurt - doesn't work.

23. You look for your glasses for half an hour and they were on your head the whole time.

24. You sink your teeth into a steak and they stay there.

25. You give up all your bad habits and still don't feel good.

26. You have more patience, but it is actually that you just don't care anymore.

27. You finally get your head together and your body starts falling apart.

28. You wonder how you could be over the hill when you don't even remember being on top of it.

All humor aside, there is a difference between growing up and growing old.

The difference is found in a persons ATTITUDE.

A person is is growing OLD is often described as CRANKY. This crankiness, is often expressed through legalism.

Legalism is “Taking a commandment or opinion of men, and teaching or promoting it as a doctrine from God. It gives man’s word the same weight as God’s word. If I say, “In my opinion, you should no longer eat hamburgers from MacDonald’s” then you are free to say “That’s a nice opinion, now leave me alone.” But when someone says, “God says you should no longer eat hamburgers from MacDonald’s” then they make it seem like you are opposing God if you don’t do as they say.”