Fountain of Youth

by Pastor Tom

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the Pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good as long as you live, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” -Psalm 103, 2-5

It’s going on five hundred years ago that a Spanish fellow named Ponce de Leon landed on a strip of Florida beach just a few miles south of where we live here in Jacksonville. The locals weren’t all that crazy about his appearing and they were pretty crafty individuals, so they made up a story about a fountain of youth. Quickly, old Ponce and his men took off through the swamps and the scrubs hunting for it, just as the natives knew he would. Who could resist? What he found was bugs and snakes and heat and a bunch of misery while he continued to grow old in the process.

It’s ironic that the land of the fountain of youth has the highest median age of any state in the nation. And quite a few of us are still searching for that magical thing that will ward off the aging process. Workouts, hair dye, face lifts, health food and gallons of Oil of Olay are just a few of the things we try in order to avoid the inevitable effects of aging.

I’m getting to the point where I think about it every now and then, particularly when I take a look into the mirror. I could try some new hair or some such thing, but it’s not likely.


Over the years, I’ve been watching people age and I know a lot of folks who have quite a few years on them. I’ve been convinced that the youngest “oldsters” I know are the ones who not only have a strong faith in God, but also an active interest in serving others. It’s not surprising.

Statistics bear out the fact that active church members enjoy a healthier and higher life expectancy than others. Regardless of age, the people I know who are out of touch with God in their lives and more interested in themselves than anything else seem to act the oldest.

We didn’t really need modern statistics to figure all this out. It’s been in the Bible all along. While it’s true that the body will ultimately manifest the effects of time, our minds and our spirits can be renewed by the power of our relationship with God. The Lord designed us not simply to grow old, but to grow up, higher and higher, into a greater likeness of his Son, and into an experience with life that is constantly renewed.

As it says in Proverbs 14:27, “The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life!”