I Feel More Sinful The Older I Get

[Donald Baker]

I'm really struggling with patience, anger, and even my salvation right now.  It feels like the older I get, the more hardened my heart becomes.  With a harder heart, I am quicker with my temper and I really hate losing my cool.  I feel like I'm slipping further into darkness and cannot stem the tide.  Sometimes I actually dred meeting God and have no feelings whatsoever about meeting the angels in heaven.  Got any scriptures that can help me?

[Phidippides]

There is an ebb and flow in life.  What drags us down in our younger years of life might be something that we overcome later on, but then a new and different thorn cuts into our side; a new cross emerges.  Perhaps the challenge is to accept the cross that you are given and simply to persevere.  Here is something you are undoubtedly familiar with, but it came to mind: 

7* I have competed well; I have finished the race;f I have kept the faith. 8* From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but to all who have longed for his appearance.

2 Timothy Ch. 4