A prayer as we grow older

Lord, You know better than I know myself that I am growing older
and will someday be old.
Keep me from the fatal habit of thinking that I must say something
on every subject and on every occasion.
Release me from the craving to straighten out everybody’s affairs.
Make me thoughtful, but not moody; helpful but not bossy.
With my vast store of wisdom it seems a pity not to use it all:
but you know, Lord, that I want a few friends at the end.
Keep my mind free from the recital of endless details,
give me wings to get to the point.
Seal my lips on my aches and pains;
they are increasing, and the love of rehearsing them is becoming greater
as the years go by.
I dare not ask for grace enough to enjoy the tales of other’s pains,
but help me to endure them with patience.
I dare not ask for improved memory,
but for a growing humility and lessening sureness
when my memory seems to clash with the memory of others.
Teach me the glorious lesson that occasionally
I may be mistaken.
Keep me reasonably sweet. I do not want to be a saint,
some of them are so hard to live with.
Give me the ability to see good things in unexpected places
and talent in unexpected people and give me,
O Lord, the grace to tell them so. Amen.

[AUTHOR UNKNOWN]

LORD, I AM GROWING OLD. . .

I do not want to be old before my time. I do not want to be an early retiree
or to fail to give all my energy to your service in my remaining years,
but I cannot deny the decades gone and the limited years ahead.
I feel more fragile, more vulnerable.

In my youth, there were so many days, months, yes years that seemed to lie ahead
that I fooled myself with illusions of immortality. Now I know the years are numbered,
and I sense in a new way that each day is a gift not to be presumed but to be cherished.

My relationship with you has always sustained me, directed me, and given me hope,
but too often I have neglected it, presumed it was there, and failed to nourish it.
Even my commitment to ministry seemed too often a product of compulsion
rather than zeal, of a desire to be esteemed rather than a desire to serve.

But this is less a time for regrets and self-criticisms
and more a time for gratitude and renewed commitments.

This is a time to deepen my relationships with you
and to be more attentive to your presence in my everyday life.

This is a time to be with you Lord,
and to invite you to be with me.

This is a time to surrender my life into your hands
and to discover that my name is written on the palm of your hand.

This is a time to tend to my deepest desires so that I can discover your desires for me.

This is a time to think about home and where my heart is and to unearth my treasure.

This is a time for abiding in you and noticing how you abide in me.

This is a time for harvesting and a time for planting new seeds
in the sure hope that you will give them growth.

Jesus, you said to Peter: ‘When you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt
and go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands,
and someone will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go’
(John 21:18).

Lord, be with me as I grow old. Lead me, guide me
and draw me ever closer to your heart for only there will I find peace
and the assurance of life eternal. Amen.