2Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.
One of those milestones came to me recently. I had a birthday! When I was young, I couldn’t wait for a birthday. I have a young friend who is 6 ½ and is so happy not to be just 6 anymore. We rush toward the next birthday with abandon. At my age, I am not rushing anywhere! This verse points out the general change that age brings; we should become more evenly tempered as we age. Some of the rampant enthusiasm dies with age. I miss it! But I also like the more even ride my life is taking at this moment. I don’t have all the vicissitudes of youth. My life is not changing as radically moment by moment as it did when I was young with on again, off again relationships and hormones. Paul is encouraging leaders in the Church to reflect godly character. As I become an elder, both by age and by position in the church, my life needs more stability in order to lead by example. We need leaders who are stable, not moved by sudden shifts in culture or temperament. We need to know our leaders have stood the test of time, that this “isn’t their first rodeo,” that they have made it through other difficult times. I miss the days of no aches and pains, but I wouldn’t give up the lessons learned and the wisdom gained for lack of aches and pains.
The Arnold Journey 