Think Stephen...

  Mission Statement

 

Galations 6:10a   "Therefore as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people."

Stephen Ministry at Milledgeville First United Methodist Church is committed to serving Jesus Christ through our God-given gifts to provide care and encouragement to those in need.

 

Isaiah 46:3-4 (New International Version)

 3 "Listen to me, O house of Jacob,
       all you who remain of the house of Israel,
       you whom I have upheld since you were conceived,
       and have carried since your birth.

 4 Even to your old age and gray hairs
       I am he, I am he who will sustain you.
       I have made you and I will carry you;
       I will sustain you and I will rescue you.


Do You Fear Aging?
Ways to see growing older as full of possibilities and adventure.
We live in a world that is obsessed with looking young and beautiful. Faced with loss of youth, many of us feel profound fear, loneliness, and regret�which lead to the depressing idea that the best years of our lives are behind us.

 

What if you could change your perspective on aging? What if you could bring back the joy that you felt in your youth? What if you could see your life as something that continued to be full of possibilities, opportunities, and adventure?

Often our preoccupation with the loss of our youth prevents us from welcoming the changes and mystery the journey ahead presents. But you can make a radical shift toward embracing the gifts of aging. Here are some ways to create a more positive aging process.


1. Cultivate Your Relationships
The older we get, the more crucial it is that we matter to someone and feel a sense of connection to at least one important person in our life. Whether they are family or friends, if you stay in regular contact with those you are close to, calling them regularly and bonding with them in tough times, they will relate not to how you look, which of course will change, but what you are deep inside. Work at making friends. In their company, we find a place full of peace and love. Know that there is One who is always with you; visit Him in prayer daily.

2. Develop and Connect With Your Spirituality
Be in touch with more than just your day-to-day routines and reality. Feed your inner self with input that brings freshness and life.  Whether it is through prayer, scripture reading, meditation, or humbling personal experiences that show us how human we are, we can all find that sense of meaning in life that goes beyond ourselves and gives us an inner refuge and home.


3. Make a Difference
As Mother Teresa of Calcutta used to say, The world is hungry for our help and our love. Animals, people, and the earth all need our service. Choosing the field we can best help in, we tap into our inner power and act to make a difference in life. Volunteer to help someone else or just be a friend to someone and it is my belief that it will come back to you tenfold.

4. Protect Your Health
In the book "Younger Next Year" Doctor Henry S. Lodge says there are three things that can keep you young! Exercise, Nutrition and Commitment.  We all know that eating a healthy diet from all the food groups strengthens our body and helps prevent disease. And appropriate, natural exercise renews us both mentally and physically. But Commitment? What the Doctor means is you have to be involved with other people. You have to care about something.

Goals such as :Charities...people...family...job...hobbies. Especially after retirement,"There have to be people and causes you care about that are important to you - a reason to keep yourself alive. If not...you'll die."  Become proactive in maintaining and monitoring your own health and keep your level of health so you can enjoy life to its fullest. Get involved in living your life - make it interesting!

5. Exercise Your Intellect
As we read widely and listen well, we will continue to relate widely to diverse peoples and opinions. Our inner life will be richer as we better understand our past and, with curiosity and discipline, learn, accept, and build on new things.


6. Nurture Your Talents and Creativity
Nourishing a sense of connection to the beauty and goodness of God's universe, we test our own powers of making new things and finding new solutions. Whether it is in art, gardening, writing, crafting, or in our relationships, we feel that something greater fills us� acknowledging the influence of the Holy Spirit in our talents, and God�s blessings makes our lives richer and more beautiful.

7. Rejoice in What Surrounds you
As you walk, or relax on your porch, take the time to breathe deeply and take in the beauty of sunrises... sunsets, and all that surrounds you, into your heart. As the years pass, such connection with nature and your surroundings will give a sense of being grounded in something stable and yet magical, relaxing into nourishment and support from the Creator.

8. Build Your Legacy
When you think of how best to spend your time, give greatest value to what will be there when you are gone. Parents, and Grandparents, spend maximum time with your kids or grandkids and give, give, and give more. That way, the good in you will take root in them and live on. With every minute available, try to channel your actions into what will outlast you and build your legacy. It may be the trees you plant; or the art you paint, sculpt, write, or build, or the minds you enrich. Age matters less when we pour ourselves into people and things that will in their own way continue us. It is our job to search this out and put our efforts there. If we do this, we may not even realize we are growing old.

 
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