This post originated as a fleeting thought before I left for the Race, and over the last 9 months… it’s come back to mind frequently. However, up until now I haven’t felt moved to sit down and actually write it. Perhaps that’s because only recently have I gained the full and accurate perspective from which to properly articulate it.
When something hits the age of 30, the world seems to think of it as an “antique” (though, in reality it takes 100 years to make it official). However, I prefer the word “vintage”. It’s more appealing and quaint, conveying a similar meaning yet emitting a different spirit… much like the objects it's used to epitomize.
And personally, I just so happen to think that vintage things are fabulous. I love the nostalgia they revive within a world racing toward's its future. I love the enchanting appeal they behold. I love the beautiful simplicity innate in things from simpler times… like my all-time vintage favorite: the VW samba bus. To me, it’s so visually stunning that it evokes a personal reverie to buy one and travel around the US in it (which, incidentally, is on my bucket list. What can I say? I’m a dreamer.).
But what I love most about vintage things – especially the VW samba bus – is that when you see them amidst all the contemporary, modern things of the world, they stand out. To some they stand out as old, outdated junk… but to others, like myself, they stand apart as mysterious treasures… each with a distinct, romantic spirit. When I see a VW bus on the road, I can't help but do a double take as a wide grin spreads across my face… completely enamored and starry-eyed.
But the world seems to be cautious about using things once they become vintage, putting them on a shelf or under protective covers to preserve them. And by that standard, given that I’m over the age of 30, I shouldn’t be out here gallivanting around the world, putting my body through the wear and tear of 3rd world living and monthly relocations. In reality – the world’s reality – I am vintage. And as a mobile missionary… I suppose that makes me a vintage vagabond. Perhaps according to the world, instead, I should be “more grounded” – with a family, preserving my health and wealth. But that’s not what God had planned for me at this age in my life.
It’s true that I’m the oldest person on my squad, and most of the people I spend my days with are about a decade younger than I am. The real kicker is that my age is always – always – a surprise to people. All over the world, the response I’ve received from people when I reveal my age ranges from a gasp to a giggle, usually mixed with confusion and doubt. It’s gotten to the point where every time I announce my age, I hold up my fingers – first 3, then 4 – to ensure they get it.
The thing I really love about the perplexity of my age is being able to tell people that it’s the Holy Spirit who keeps me so young. After all, in my earlier years, I did almost everything humanly possible to prematurely age myself: sunbathing with baby oil, cigarettes and mild drugs, a horrible diet and love affair with sugar on top of many sleepless nights spent partying and ingesting large amounts of alcohol. Clearly my youthfulness is some kind of miracle – an act of God. And yes, as crazy as it sounds, I am claiming that the Holy Spirit is the best anti-aging miracle on the market.
My friends at home (most of them in their mid-to-late twenties) joke that I was just born too early. But I firmly believe that God’s timing is perfect, and I came at just the right time. Perhaps because God knew it would take me (who was quite rebellious and stubborn in my earlier days) longer to be open to the same revelations He’s given people in their teens and early twenties. And by that, the extra time He’s given me is a true gift.
Still, there are days when I wonder if I’m too old to be moving from place to place like this. Too old to be a vagabond. I wonder if I were 10 years younger would I have more energy or more strength or more vigor for this journey? I often wonder when my body aches and my energy’s low if it’s because I’m 34. But the truth is, doing this – traveling the world to share the love of God – at this exact age is an honor and a testimony to God’s great power working through me. And through all these questions over the last year, He’s taught me a lot:
- Whether young or old, God doesn’t see age; He sees the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). Remember David the young shepherd boy who took down Goliath the giant with a rock and a slingshot!?
- God doesn’t call us or equip us according to our age (Joash was 7 years old when he was appointed king over Israel – II Chronicles 24:1. Moses was called by God at age 40 and served Him until he was 80.).
- God’s promises and miracles – the supernatural – are independent of things in the natural world – especially age (Sarah gave birth to Isaac around 90 years old. Abraham was 100 years old at this time, but despite his old age, he became father of thousands – Hebrews 11:12).
- Wisdom comes by the Spirit, not by years (Job 32:8).
- Relationships – divinely appointed relationships – exist despite age gaps. I have friends who are 13 years younger and friends who are 20 years older than I am, and I have seen God do fabulous things in each of those relationships.
- The most profound revelation: The word “vintage” is also used to describe things that are the best of their kind. Things that are special and set apart. I am vintage not because of the years I have under my belt… but because I too have been set apart. Set apart by a different spirit — the Holy Spirit who transcends age.
The point is: age doesn’t define you any more than the social security number that was assigned to you at birth. Because it’s just that – a number. An arbitrary number. And in love… in life… in victory… in opportunity… in relationships… what matters is the heart. What matters is having a different Spirit.
And this vintage vagabond is deeply grateful for the Spirit who lives in and through me. The Spirit that has set me apart. The Holy Spirit – a spirit of courage, a spirit of love, a spirit of forgiveness, a spirit of wisdom, a spirit of zest and youthfulness and life – shines through me… making me fabulously vintage.
"And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you." (Romans 8:11).
