By Mark A. Taylor
Older friends told me about the stage of life I realize I’ve entered now.
I skim an obituary mainly to see if the person who died was older than I.
I hear plans for long term future events the completion of a major highway, the next time cities will bid for the Olympics, even upcoming North American Christian Conventions and mentally calculate my age then to assure myself I’ll still be alive when they happen.
I’m learning about nutrition, checking my blood pressure, and talking to my friends about what they’re doing to fight arthritis or acid reflux. Bob Russell said to me at the Lexington NACC conference, “We didn’t discuss these things a few years ago, did we?”
Actually, I feel good. These are the best years of my life, I tell myself, comparing the benefits of late middle age freedom with the aggravations of my degenerating body.
But I have passed the top of the hill, and although the bottom is far away, I can see it. And I’m eager to slow the descent.
So when I came across an article in The Wall Street Journal called “The Secrets of Successful Aging” (June 20), I dropped everything else to read it.
The biggest “secret” is that research links stress and aging. That is, those who cope best with stress live longer. Even those who experience traumas such as job loss or family strife can help themselves age more successfully if they know how to handle stress.
One of the best ways to do this, according to the article, is to build strong bonds with friends. “Study after study shows social support makes a measurable difference in how we cope with stress and how we age.”
The article cited a group of breast cancer patients whose stress hormone levels were lower when they joined support groups. Stress was measured among a group forced to make public speeches; speakers had less stress when they knew at least one friend was in the audience. And baboons who participated in social grooming had lower blood pressure!
When I think about applying this finding to my own life, I realize God already knew it when he created the church. “Serve one another.” “Honor one another.” “Encourage one another.” “Accept one another.” “Admonish and teach one another.”
And then the New Testament sums it up simply by telling us, “Love one another.”
When we experience church the way God intended it, all kinds of good things happen. We may even age better. That sounds very good indeed, especially at my stage of life!
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