I’m grateful for the older women in my life. They show me that aging is not declining; aging is wisdom in motion. There is a divine purpose in developing spiritual resilience as an older woman. It’s a beautiful feature that goes beyond aesthetics—it’s holy, intentional, and an act of disciplined reverence.
I come from women who fervently whispered prayers in my ears, who lovingly held my chin up with wrinkled fingers, and encouraged me to always share a testimony. Women who could finish any Scripture from memory when the pastor started reading. Church mothers who taught Sunday School, directed the choir, or led Bible Studies. From Kansas to California, from California to Russia, from Russia to Belize, and all the places and spaces in between, I’m grateful for each woman God placed on my path.
Spiritual Resilience
I cherish the spiritual aunts whose perfume, hats, stockings, and pearls molded my formative years. Nothing compares to watching those in your daily life cultivate intimacy with the Lord. It’s the ones who have faced life’s challenges, heartaches, and grief and are willing to tell their stories. The ones who called on God to guide them out of the darkest recesses of the soul into His healing Light. Only those who drink their daily fill of Living Water remain hydrated and resilient enough to help others cross spiritual deserts. Those are the voices I long to hear.
Aging is Wisdom in Motion
Age doesn’t guarantee wisdom. No, wisdom comes after long, hard-fought battles, wrestling in prayer, trying to make it all make sense. And when it still doesn’t make sense, wisdom is the Spirit of Peace, a precious gift from the God of All Comfort. Wisdom in motion is not about old folks telling young ones how it should be done. It’s about aging with the love, grace, and focused prayer life required to receive divine insights and walk in them.
“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”
Matthew 7:7-8 NLT
Let us keep asking, seeking, and knocking so that we can take our turn as wisdom in motion. Make no mistake, you are being watched. I’ve gleaned enough insight over my 62 years to know that my life is on display whether I’m called Mama, Baba (Russian for Grandma), Ms. Alida, Dude, Buddy, or Bruh. Even when we feel like no one notices, people see us. May our collective prayer be that our lives testify of imperfect women, following a perfect God, in a quest to live a life that points others to Him.
*For those of you who prayer walk, let the verbs from Matthew 7:7 guide your prayers. Ask, seek, and knock for God is faithful to come through for us. For an Ask Seek Knock screensaver click here