Lisa Barry: It?s interesting to me to watch how different people age. Some just slip into it gracefully and others fight it tooth and nail the entire way. But as we?ll find out today on Gateway To Joy, growing old is something we all need to accept, and as soon as we do that a lot of other things will fall into place. As a testimony of that, Elisabeth Elliot is welcoming back Ted Simonsen who has found peace in growing old. It?s a lesson we can all appreciate, so I hope you'll stay with us for this Tuesday edition of Gateway To Joy.

Elisabeth Elliot: "You are loved with an everlasting love." That?s what the Bible says. "And underneath are the everlasting arms." This is your friend Elisabeth Elliot, talking again today with my guest Ted Simonsen. I think I said yesterday that I've never had any men on my program, and then while Ted was talking I realized that I have had my husband on the program a couple of times. But I had had a letter from this interesting man saying, "I've enjoyed your women guests on Gateway To Joy. They've been terrific, but how about some men for instance." So I decided, well, we'll try him.

So I invited Ted Simonsen to come here and talk with us today. He talked yesterday a little bit about his background and about his work with prisoners. Since he and I are pretty close the same age--he's 73, I'm 72--we have a lot of things to talk about in our old age, haven't we, Ted?

Ted Simonsen: That's right. Yesterday I was speaking about the prisons and how the Lord gave me the message to them that the Lord gave to Saul on the road to Damascus--which was, "My grace is sufficient for you, because My strength is made perfect in weakness,"--and how this applied to prisoners who really are weak because freedom is taken away from them. And they feel weak; they are weak. What I didn't say yesterday and I'd like to say today, that this relates to old age because the Lord showed me that this applies to me too in the business of growing old.

One definition of old age is getting weaker and weaker and weaker until finally you're out of here. That being the case and looking at this Scripture, I saw this in a different way--that the weaker I get the stronger I can become in Christ. This condition of weakness, rather than being something to dread, is actually an opportunity for the Lord to reveal His strength in me. So that transformed the whole idea of old age for me, so that I know look forward to it.

Elisabeth Elliot: Well, I'm so glad to hear you say that, Ted. You know I'm on sort of a campaign trail, trying to get women to accept old age. I tell people from the platform exactly how old I am, and then I have--almost invariably have--somebody come up to me afterwards and say, "Elisabeth, you know you really don't look that old." And I want to say, "Every time I look in that mirror, I think where did that face come from? I'm not familiar with that face."

But I know I'm old. But the great thing to me, Ted, is that it wasn't my idea to be born in 1926, it was God's idea. It is a segment of the "path of the just." The Bible says the path of the just is as a shining light that shines more and more unto the perfect day. So I want to embrace my old age, I want to acknowledge it, and I want to thank God for it. How do you feel?

Ted Simonsen: I feel exactly that way. Where else are we going to glorify God if not where we happen to be? We happen to be old, whereas some people like to say, "Not old, but older."

Elisabeth Elliot: That's baloney! That is absolute baloney! People say that constantly, "Oh, you're not really old," and I want to say, "What would you call old? Do you have to be 99?"

Ted Simonsen: It's a wonderful opportunity, I think. We can witness uniquely, I think, in the different stages of our life. Young people can witness very effectively, especially to other young people. Then middle age we have a witness, and we also have a witness at old age too. I think it particularly applies to the fear of death. The Bible tells us that in the flesh there's a great fear of death. If we've been delivered from that, what an opportunity to be an example to others, that there is an escape from the fear of death. We don't have to be afraid of death if we have Christ as our hope, as our Savior, and as our very life.

Elisabeth Elliot: I can't help thinking that facelifting and haircoloring are really ways of trying to fend off what God has actually given us. Now I don't want my women listeners to think that I'm saying it's wicked, it's wrong for you to color your hair or to have your face lifted.

But my dear friend, Hattie Payson, who died some years ago, she had not been a Christian for very many years, and she was always coming to me for advice. One day she called me up and she said, "Elisabeth, do you think God would mind if I got a facelift?" I just laughed. I said, "Hattie, I don't have any idea whether Jesus cares whether you get a facelift or not," but I said, "I don't think Jesus wants me to have a face lift. That's all I know."

So she went ahead and she had her facelifted. And when she woke up the next morning with two black eyes, and she looked in the mirror and she just thought, "Oh, why did I do this?" The second day, she said she felt so much better that she said, "Well, maybe I'll do it one more time." I just laughed.

But God has His own ways of reminding us that He's the one that's in charge. He had me get born in 1926. So, on this particular day, it is a segment of the will of God.

Ted Simonsen: Right. I don't think I really understand what a facelift is, but I don't think I want it.

Elisabeth Elliot: Don't bother.

Ted Simonsen: I must say that when I look in the mirror, I'm not encouraged too much these days, but it's where I am and it's what I look like. The Bible says that God looks on the heart; I'm glad of that. Therefore, I want to keep my heart clean and clear. As far as my physical appearance--I want to shave and I want to look the best I can, but that's not the main thing.

One other thing about old age--in speaking of the fruits of the Spirit which we're suppose to be exhibiting, if we don't exhibit those fruits in old age when are we going to do it? It seems to me that this is our last chance to get it right. I don't want to miss that last chance. I want to finish strong. I want to finish in spite of all the failures of the past. I have an opportunity now, at least, and each day is a gift from the Lord to let Him live His life through me and fulfill what He had in mind when He created me.

Elisabeth Elliot: You've written a poem called Oh, Cross So Terrible and Sweet. This is a poem, you told me, about self denial. I think that would be very appropriate for you to read.

Ted Simonsen: Okay. I wrote this for the prisoners, and then when I finished I saw that it applies to lots of people who are not behind physical bars. It goes this way.

"I've got a problem I can't shake, no matter how I try.
It's not my brother and it's not the state. It's me, myself and I.

"Sometimes I'm good and sometimes I'm bad, and sometimes I wonder why.
It makes no difference; I'm still stuck with me, myself and I.

"I thought drugs had a hold on me. I lived for getting high.
But that was nothing compared to the trap of me, myself and I.

"Then I met Jesus, and He said, 'Deny yourself and die.
Take up your cross and follow me, and do not question why.'

"I said, 'Lord, it's too much to ask. I want to live not die.'
But I had to be free from the awful grip of me, myself and I.

"So for the love of Him I let it go--my hopes, my dreams; it made me cry.
Then Jesus began to live His life when self I did deny.

"Now every day we walk in joy, my dearest friend and I.
For life comes only when I give up old me, myself and I."

Elisabeth Elliot: Well, that's exactly what Jesus was talking about when He gave the three conditions of discipleship, isn't it? He said if you want to be My disciple you must give up your right to yourself. Our human nature is to cling tenaciously to me, myself and I. I've got to do my own thing. I don't want anybody else to tell me what to do. I want to do what feels good. And Jesus is saying, you don't have to follow Me. But if you want to, these are the conditions: Number one, give up your right to yourself. Number two, take up the cross, and number three is follow Me. Those are three principles that I think we should review just about daily because we have so many opportunities to give up our right to ourselves, which we refuse to do.

Ted Simonsen: That's right. One way that I've found to get free of the terrible preoccupation with self, is to simply obey God and what He's telling me to do. Just do it! Don't analyze it. Don't ask too many questions. Just get busy doing it. In the doing of God's will I find that that's the only place I can forget about myself, and get busy doing the Lord's will.

Elisabeth Elliot: It's no good telling the Lord, "I can't do it."

Ted Simonsen: No, that won't work.

Elisabeth Elliot: Because God has never asked us to do anything which He would not enable us to do, right?

Ted Simonsen: That's right That's right. That's why so much of the Bible, I think, appears to be impossible to people. To the natural man it is impossible. It's not meant to be possible to the natural man. Natural man has fallen with Adam's fall in the Garden of Eden; there's nothing good to be expected of him. Therefore, the commands that Jesus gives us in the Bible can only be obeyed in His strength with the grace that He gives. He says His grace is sufficient. Rather than trying in our own strength to do things, we ought to be calling on His grace and finding that they can be done.

Elisabeth Elliot: Absolutely. And there's so many promises that the Lord God will help me. "Therefore, shall I not be confounded, " it says in Isaiah 50. "Therefore, have I set my face like a flint and I know that I shall not be ashamed." But we're going to be ashamed if we don't accept that.

Thank you, Ted, for being with me again today.

Ted Simonsen: Thank you.

Lisa Barry: I hope you?ve been as inspired by Ted?s example as I have. I pray that I?ll have that kind of attitude throughout my whole life and not just wait until I?m in my 70?s. It?s a challenge for all of us. And now before we go, I?d like tell you about Elisabeth?s new line of greeting cards that must be seen to be fully appreciated. These are beautifully designed cards that are appropriate for many occasions. The sentiment is carefully worded and in good taste. If you?d like to have some cards on hand that will be ready and available for any situation. They are sold for $2.75 a piece or in a set of 16 for $40.00. For additional information you can call us at:

1-800-759-4JOY. That number again is 1-800-759-4569. Or you can write to Gateway to Joy, Box 82500, Lincoln, Nebraska, 68501. And if you?re on the Internet, be sure and check out our Web site. You?ll find our on-line products catalog, weekly program topics, transcripts and much more. That address is gatewaytojoy.org.

Gateway To Joy has been a production of Back to the Bible. Tomorrow, Elisabeth and Ted talk about the practice of habit, so join us then for the next Gateway To Joy.