Getting older gets a bad rap. We worry about extra wounds, graying hair, wrinkles, and sagging skin. But I am turning 49 today, and so I decided now would be a good time to reflect on some of the very real blessings of growing older.
Snippet of the Show
“I have grown to know who I am and accept the way God made me. I know my strengths, my weaknesses, and what God has called me to with greater clarity than when I was younger.”
Snippet from the Show
“Connection is more important than perfection.”
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Shownotes
My new book, Whisper: Finding God in the Everyday, is available to order! We will be hosting a mini book club, right here in the podcast, beginning in June. I hope you will join us!
I also share with you how you can get access to the free playlist I put together for Whisper: Finding God in the Everyday. It’s a collection of songs that I find inspiring on the themes I cover in the book, and I hope you will enjoy listening and praying along with it too. You can get the playlist when you text the word WHISPER to 33-777
7 Things to Love About Getting Older
I am turning 49 today, and so I decided now would be a good time to reflect on some of the very real blessings of growing older. Here are some of them.
- I know some things.
Whether it be about marriage, motherhood, or work situations, I have gained knowledge and experience that is invaluable to myself and that I can share with others.
- I am comfortable.
I have grown to know who I am and accept the way God made me. I know my strengths, my weaknesses, and what God has called me to with greater clarity than when I was younger.
- I am more patient.
Experience has taught me about what things truly matter in the long run and what things do not. I can see the ways that work pays off and the larger perspective helps me to be more patient in any trial I might currently be facing.
- I love my marriage.
My marriage has changed and grown so much through the years. We are the best we have ever been and I look forward to the future together.
- I enjoy my big kids.
My kids have grown up into human beings I love to spend time with. They can truly be friends to me and I appreciate seeing them turn into the beautiful human beings God made them to be.
- I am more compassionate.
I judge less and love more. Life has a way of teaching you that you don’t know everything, there are no guarantees, and that there are many “right” ways to do many things.
- I know God more.
This is a lot of what I share in my new book, Whisper, but I have grown in my relationship with God and I connect with him in new ways that just were not possible before I had lived this many years.
My book, You Are Enough: What Women of the Bible Teach You About Your Mission and Worth, is available for order! Use the code, GIRLFRIENDS to receive ten percent off your order. Don’t miss out on this special available exclusively to listeners of the Girlfriends podcast.
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Megan Madden
Megan Madden is a homeschooling mother with a passion for writing and speaking on authentic femininity and virtuous womanhood. In 2017, she began graduate studies in marriage and family at the International Theological Institute in Austria. After moving to Kraków, Poland to work with university students, Megan more personally continued her research on the complementarity of man and woman, particularly on the question of what it means to be a woman. She delved into the study of renowned Catholic writers on women such as St. Edith Stein, Gertrude von le Fort, Alice von Hildebrand, St. John Paul II, and St. Teresa of Avila.
The results were the development of Megan’s online ministry A Mother’s Lace, as well as speaking opportunities and her book with Ascension: Mary, Teach Me to Be Your Daughter.
Megan lives outside of Oxford, England with her husband, who is a lecturer in theology, and their five children.
Danielle,
I’m 53 so I’m a tiny bit ahead of you but I was so happy to hear this episode. Thank you. I love the wisdom I carry now at my age because of my experiences. And because of that I am truly comfortable aging. I agree with you in all these areas. My oldest was born in 95 as well and I love my relationship with him. I let go of things so much easier as well because I know that life is intertwined with joy and sorrow. I understand now that there is no life guarantee with anything (including our precious children) so I have learned to not be surprised. It doesn’t mean that certain hard outcomes don’t hurt but I’m no longer questioning it or shaking my fists. I surrender more now and ask myself how I can grow through this. I am embracing this next chapter as I get older and it was nice hearing another woman feel the same. Again, thank you!