Collecting Life; Viewpoints

          Life is short;  And along the way of this life we collect our various viewpoints.
They shape shift, and transform in many different ways depending upon the circumstances we are in at the time and the people who influence us as well.  I call this "collecting life."  Lord knows I have changed opinions and stand points many many times along the way.   For  me I depend upon others to gain understanding.  For too long I was an Island, alone and pondering life's many peculiarities by myself.  I have found refreshing times in listening to others and forming opinions with a deft hand by integrating their insight with my own.  Although I may not agree with everything, it is a wonderful experience to gain.  Wisdom is something I have always wanted to gain, and treat it as a close ally and friend.  This is because I had not so much as to call my own.  Essentially fatherless and without guide, I always looked with longing at those who seemed to possess it in  great abundance.
     Now I relish listening with an open ear and sifting the gems that perhaps I will hear and add to my internal being.  It is a strange thing to be a Christian and sort of feel like we are living backwards. By this I mean that as a Christian we are constantly being renewed in our minds by a close relationship with Christ.  This renewing is called "putting on Christ" and putting off the old man, so to speak.  Though my body ages, and I can visibly see the years adding up to an eventual  end, the internal renewal I feel is bewildering, but greatly appreciated.  I don't feel at all my age of 63 years.  And this surprises me.  When growing up, the only reference I had was my grandfather and he definitely fit his age.  Now that I have reached his age, and compare each if us it baffles me. 
     I cannot but help but wonder if living in Christ adds a dimension of "youth" that  belies age and helps us along the way.  My curiosity is so much more boundless than when I was a twenty year old.  Seems to me that It does not make sense.  Save for the fact that the working of the Spirit, adds a dimension I had not counted on. 
     So I gladly accept the new and curious things that I collect along the way and add it to my being.  How does one translate this to another?  The re-generation of the Holy Ghost is a complete transformation of being.  We are changed here and now both mind and body, and our thinking takes on magnitudes and levels not thought of before.  I greatly appreciate other Christians, and "Philosophers" who have reached pinnacles of thought  I have not and that  share graciously with me.  It opens the mind to other perceptions and avenues to facilitate change. 
     So I will continue with an open mind and heart to see where this leads.  For now it is an interesting journey.   Peace.........