“Grandpa, race you to the gate!”

My grandson had already disappeared down the garden path before I had even decided whether my knees were willing to negotiate with the rest of my body. I took exactly three enthusiastic steps, heard something creak that had not creaked before, and wisely changed the race into a brisk walk.

As I sat down to recover with as much dignity as possible, I realised something rather interesting. There was a time when I could outrun youngsters without thinking. Today, I have become an expert in pretending I never intended to run in the first place.

Age has a delightful sense of humour.

The ancient Greeks told the story of Tithonus. His wife, Eos, begged Zeus to make him immortal. Zeus agreed. Unfortunately, she forgot to ask that he remain forever young. So poor Tithonus simply kept growing older and older until, according to the legend, little remained of him except his voice. He had endless years but no youthful strength to enjoy them.

It is a story worth remembering.

Today, scientists are discovering ways for us to live longer. Medical advances are adding years to our lives. But nobody has yet invented replacement knees that complain less than the originals or a back that politely ignores gravity.

Living longer is a gift. Staying young is another matter altogether.

That is why, as the balance slowly tilts away from physical strength, we need to tilt another balance in our favour.

We need fresh joys.

If we spend our entire lives chasing only our own success, we may discover that when success finally arrives, we no longer have the energy to celebrate it properly. But if, while we are younger, we invest our time in our children, encourage their dreams, build their confidence and cheer them through their struggles, then later we discover a beautiful secret.

Their victories become our victories.

Nothing is quite as satisfying when you age, as watching your children fly higher than you ever could.

Then come the grandchildren.

They arrive with endless questions, unlimited curiosity and absolutely no concern for your afternoon nap. They teach you how to laugh again. They make you explain why the moon follows the car and why birds never crash into each other. In answering them, you discover that wisdom can travel much further than muscle.

That, I believe, is God’s wonderful design.

When youth quietly slips out the back door, new joys walk confidently through the front.

Our legs may slow down, but our encouragement can still run marathons.

Our hands may shake, but they can still bless.

Our strength may fade, but our experience can become someone else’s foundation.

In the end, perhaps the happiest people are not those who desperately try to hold on to youth, but those who gladly pass on everything they have learned.

That is how you tilt the balance. Not just by you, living longer. But helping your own, live better…!

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