I was recently at a retreat with ladies from my church and as I looked around the room of nearly 50 women, I realized, with no small amount of astonishment and horror, that I was the third-oldest person there.
A bit earlier, I’d approached a group of ladies sitting around chatting and one of the twenty-somethings politely hopped up to give me her chair. I appreciated her good manners, but it was a wee bit discombobulating. My mouth said, “Awww, thanks,” but the voice in my head was screaming, “What the heck? Does she think I’m OLD?!” My head, though topped with plenty of gray hair, is obviously in major denial.
We go to a “young church” so even though I’m barely in my 60s, it’s not unusual for me to be one of the oldest at any gathering of women. But the fact that I notice bothers me even more than the reality itself.
Why do I notice? Why does it matter? Why does it feel like a bad thing? If our culture and our minds weren’t so screwed up by constant messages to the contrary, we might realize that old age is, in fact, a very good thing.
Just check out these Bible verses about senior citizenship:
“Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life. (Proverbs 16:31)”
“The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the Lord; they flourish in the courts of our God. They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green, to declare that the Lord is upright … . (Psalm 92:12-15)”
“Wisdom is with the aged, and understanding in length of days. (Job 12:12)”
Unfortunately, those Scriptures are not what most of us read or hear on a daily basis. Instead, we’re bombarded with ads about falling and not being able to get up, medications to fix “weak stream” (ugh) and other unseemly afflictions, and miracle creams to eliminate or disguise our wrinkles.
We’ve “pathologized” most of the natural and inevitable effects of aging, but what if we could turn that around and internalize a new message, one that values wisdom far above flawless “Baywatch” bodies? Yes, we can individually choose that radically different, Biblical perspective, even if it means we’re swimming upstream in our culture.
Age has robbed me of some things, but it can never steal God’s highest purpose for my life: to know Him (see Jeremiah 9:23-24).
I have a dear friend who is mostly homebound after some serious health challenges. I know she struggles with her limitations, but what she still does is so eternally important. She still has a coffeepot covered with sticky notes with the names of people she prays for written on them. I’ve been on her coffeepot for years now and I can’t even express how much that encourages me.
It’s hard to have to let go of things as we grow old—people, abilities, health. But maybe God allows that so that as we get closer to the end of our earthly journeys, we’ll actually slow down and take time to think about what’s next. And for Christ-followers, what’s next is glorious.
Old age has its benefits, and I’m not just talking about free coffee with our McDonald’s biscuits. Our bladders and knees may be weak, but our spirits can be strong.
As I recently read, “Our body may appear older, but our insides are being renewed daily. An elderly Christian never truly gets old. You only get old when you stop seeking the advancement of the kingdom of God. You only get old when you cease building up others in Christ … .”
Amen … and pass the prunes.