My 80 year old Self

Session • Introduction • Activation

Imagine yourself in the front garden or on the stoop of a home. You walk inside the home, and you see someone familiar sitting in a chair. They look up and smile, they stand, they welcome and embrace you and they invite you to sit with them. This person is about 80 years old and they are you - as your future self, your hoped for self.

Take a moment to imagine what the space around you looks like, the furniture, the pictures on the walls. Spend some time reflecting on these prompts:

What book or hobby might have just been set aside in order for the future you to greet their guest?
What is the atmosphere in the space?
How might you feel in the presence of this person?
Is there music playing or are they enjoying silence?
How does this person seem to you?
How would you want to describe them?
What do they look like?
How might you describe their choice of clothing?
As you start to speak with them what is the cadence of their voice?
What is the content of their conversation?
What is the speed at which they engage in their interactions?
How does silence feel with them?
If you were to eat and drink together, what is consumed between you and what is the nature of their service towards you?
How do they respond to an interruption?
How do they respond to their physical limitations?
How do you imagine they enjoy spending time?
What brings them delight?
Who is in their life?
What stories do they tell?
What do they value and appreciate?
What makes them laugh or cry?

Reflect and Pray

Who do I see myself becoming as I become more like Jesus?

In your journal you might want to write down words or phrases that come to mind, maybe hopes or desires that come to the surface. Invite God to speak to you in this space and surrender all of this to Christ.

“The self that begins the spiritual journey is the self of our own creation, the self we thought ourselves to be. This is the self that dies on the journey. The self that arrives is the self that was loved into existence by Divine Love. This is the person we were destined from eternity to become.” David Benner

View other resources for this session