I really liked today’s sermon. The preacher spoke, among other things, about humility. To be humble does not mean to walk around bowed down and to convince yourself that you can do nothing, know nothing, and are worth nothing—even though that is not true and you don’t feel that way. Humility is not something artificial, but rather an acknowledgment of our limitations. It’s an honest and open look at oneself that recognizes what you are capable of and also what you are not. It’s an acceptance of the fact that I can’t do everything, don’t know everything, and need help with some things. It means accepting boundaries and dependencies.
As I listened, I thought of our elderly sisters who are dependent on help in so many ways. Just a few days ago, one of them was feeling really down because she became aware of all the things she can no longer do. I believe that’s why we age slowly—to give us time to become humble. When you’re still young, it’s easy to convince yourself that you’re independent, and your own strength masks the reality that you don’t have control over everything. You feel like you can do and achieve anything. The whole world seems to lie at your feet. But this state doesn’t last. Whether it’s a harsh stroke of fate that suddenly makes it clear that we control almost nothing, or the slow decline of age that gradually forces us to realize that life passes without having done or achieved everything we wanted.
There are elderly people who handle this really well, who gladly accept help and have no problem with their situation. Most of our elderly sisters are these consistently positive and exemplary individuals. But others become harsh, unfriendly, and suspicious. I’ve sometimes wondered why this is.
I believe the key lies in humility. We must learn true humility in order to age gracefully and with kindness. Humility allows us to be happy within our limits instead of constantly struggling against them and creating frustration.
It is humility that separates the wise elderly from the grumpy ones.
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