One of the Blessings of Getting Older

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What are the blessings of getting older? As I get older, I notice a quieter kind of blessing taking shape. Yes, our bodies can ache, and at times life feels stiff and demanding. Yet even so, something deeper begins to emerge. In Secrets of Heaven 3096, Swedenborg writes, “The word spring is used when the text is dealing with a purer and higher form of truth, but well when it is dealing with a less pure and lower form of truth.” Because of that, the journey of life starts to make more sense. Early on, much of it is digging. We work, we search, we strive to reach the water table. This effort matters, and in fact, we cannot skip it.

Over time, however, another experience begins to unfold. Instead of always digging, we start to notice something rising. In moments of friendship, in quiet acts of care, in ordinary gatherings, grace begins to surface. Then suddenly we catch it. “Oh, there’s the spring.” In light of Jesus’ promise of living water to the Samaritan woman, we realize that this flow has been there all along. So while we continue the necessary work, we also learn to pause and see. In the end, these springs are incredible, unmerited, amazing gifts from God, often found right in the middle of everyday life.