A Regal Place
Looking back on the boundless energy of our 20s and 30s brings a smile—especially once we reach the calm, seasoned clarity of our autumn years. In this heartfelt reflection, we celebrate the hard-won wisdom of age, the peace of knowing "this too shall pass," and the privilege of guiding the next generation with grace and Christ-centered counsel.
KNOWLEDGERELATIONSHIPSHEALTH
Wisdom, Autumn Years, and Guiding the Next Generation
Sometimes I get a genuine "brain freeze" when I try to remember my life in my 20s and 30s—and on some days, it’s my 40s, too! In those earlier decades, I could practically breeze through my classes, celebrate and party hard, drink and dance all night—yes, drink!—and still impress my college professors with my subject aptitude and course acumen. Little to no studying (well... maybe just a little) applied. Back then, I had abundant brain power, stamina, energy, and a heavy dose of blind optimism—but most of all, I moved through life thinking I had forever.
As the great playwright George Bernard Shaw famously advised, "Youth is wasted on the young." That line captures a perspective you only truly come by much later in life, as you approach your autumn years—when so many physical feats take more effort, certain details become harder to recall, and things that once felt effortless can feel a bit more complicated. Mr. Shaw even pointed out that young people who complain about life are often out of place when they do so, simply because they haven't yet felt the full weight of time or the richness of hindsight.
Stepping Into Seasoned Perspective
The place I find myself chronologically today represents one of the most meaningful milestones anyone can reach. And honestly? It is a place I am finding very comfortable. Over the years, I’ve learned to take my own twists, turns, and growing pains and turn them into practical lessons to pass on to those only now taking their first monumental steps into adulthood.
Young folks are stepping into that unpredictable, sometimes volatile experience we call life. And if you’ve lived long enough, you know life can get pretty brutal at times—you are continually tried, stretched, and tested. With age and experience, we’ve learned when to get into the good fight and when simply to rise above the noise. People now come to us for grounded, mature advice rather than petty drama; they’ve learned to seek our counsel and trust our lived testimonies.
When you reach this stage of life, many of the things that make younger folks scream in frustration no longer rattle you the same way. Instead, you offer a quiet smile and lean on timeless wisdom—recalling the familiar proverb often associated with King Solomon’s request for a truth that holds in both good times and bad: "This too shall pass" (or "this too will pass away"). Seasons shift, storms peak, and relief eventually arrives.
Counsel with Christ and a Regal Calling
Approaching my autumn years around 60 has taught me another vital truth: through all my personal mountains and valleys, earnest prayers, and careful plans, whenever the true spirit of God—mercy, grace, tolerance, and love—was left out of the equation, trouble found an opening and chaos followed. Over time, I had to learn to quiet the clamor, listen for a divine voice, and take counsel directly with Christ.
So to all of you—whether you’re in your "May" years just starting out, your "December" years carrying rich history, or anywhere in between—who ride with me and walk alongside these reflections: I hope that for every question you ask, every obstacle you face, and every milestone you reach, there is a seasoned heart and spirit ready to guide you along the way.
We have not walked this road in vain. Through grace, perseverance, and surrender, we have grown into what we once sought to be—guides, teachers, and counselors in life and in Christ. That is a deeply earned, deeply peaceful, and truly regal place to be. Amen.
S.K. Caraway, Director
Psalm 71:18
So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come
Proverbs 27: 17
Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.