It Only Gets Better

I was 23 years old and newly engaged. A man in his 50s spotted me after church and congratulated me. He also said something I've always remembered. You think you're in love now, he said, but you really don't know what love is. Wait until you've been married 30 years, then you will begin to understand what love is.

I felt unexpectedly encouraged. Being young and in love is amazing, but I didn't mind being told that it only gets better. He was right, by the way. I've now been married 34 years, and I wouldn’t trade the marriage I have now for the one I had in the early years. Done right, with God’s help, there are joys in marriage that get better and deeper the more decades you spend together.

The same applies to many other things. Youth has many advantages, like strength and energy. Getting older has some drawbacks, but it has its perks too. Having young children is great, but so is having older children and grandkids. Starting a career is nice, but so is gaining wisdom and experience. Starting good habits is okay, but enjoying the fruit of those habits, accrued after decades, is a joy.

Looking back, there are many things I enjoy now that are the fruit of years of work. In a culture that values youth, I can honestly say there are many ways in which I would never want to go back. This makes sense biblically speaking; Scripture talks about reaping what we sow (Galatians 6:7-9). As one preacher noted, good sowing will bring good reaping. In Galatians, Paul is talking about financial giving, but the principle also applies to life in general. Actions have consequences; walking with God brings joys that accumulate over the years and, eventually, into eternity.

Maybe that’s why Proverbs speaks of the benefits of getting older (Proverbs 16:31; 20:29). Getting older has some drawbacks, but it comes with some benefits that more than compensate. There are old guy benefits that should never be underestimated by the young.

Many people see aging negatively, but there's beauty in loving the same woman for decades and enjoying the joy brought by grown children and their children. There’s something beautiful about many years of getting to know Scripture. There are advantages to having suffered and found that God is faithful in suffering, and that he brings something beautiful even out of the worst things we'll experience. There’s joy in having seen God come through before and knowing he can always be trusted. There are benefits to having suffered and learned lessons along the way. There are joys in walking with God for a long time, and finding that the more you know him, the more beautiful he appears.

It’s not true for everyone, but generally speaking, it only gets better. Getting older comes with challenges, but it also brings many benefits that shouldn't be overlooked.