Getting old

Is getting old something to fear?

Getting old is a different experience for different people. But the important thing is how we look at it because that will affect how we experience aging. For many getting old is a painful experience, a time when the mind is willing but the body isn’t. For others nothing’s willing and they are constantly meeting new people (or at least they think they are). We can choose to approach getting old in two different ways. With fear and trepidation or with hope for a future in heaven.

Can we be happy when getting old?

My 85 year old brother-in-law is fairly restricted in his movement and he uses a walking frame. A few days ago I was taking him to the doctor for a checkup. Whilst we were waiting he asked me if I would go into the chemist next door to buy him some pain relief tablets. I asked him if he wanted anything else, “some suntan cream, some condoms?” and that made him laugh. The doctor suggested something else, some moisturising cream for the cracked skin on his fingers.

We went back to the chemist and a cream containing urea was recommended. Apparently that’s good for such conditions. I said that it sounded like fertiliser and asked if that would give him green thumbs. He has always loved looking after his garden but can’t do that anymore. The comment made him laugh so much that he forgot his worries for a while. The chemist said that laughter is the best medicine and that’s something I am sure you’ve heard before.

In some respects it’s good getting older. You can look at the world with amusement and not get drawn into worldly issues. No longer are you stressed about how to earn a living, how to save enough money to survive for the next several decades or how to look after things like the garden. You can swap your expensive car for something cheaper, like a mobility scooter. But one thing’s for sure; you become more spiritual and closer to heaven’s door. Now, heaven is apparently a really nice place. Love is everywhere and there is no evil. So why worry about getting old? When we are old we are close to leaving our worries behind.

Where do old people fit in?

One day recently we were picking up our granddaughter from primary school. They have a drive through and we were waiting in the car. When she came out from school I waved to her and she looked terribly embarrassed. On getting into the car she told me not to wave to her and I asked why. She told us, “because you’re so old. I guess that kids, like most people, tend to mix or associate with people who are like them or who think like them. 

One thing that I have found is that old people tend to readily give recognition to and talk to other old people. That happens with complete strangers, even when you walk past them in the street. It’s not something that I noticed until I became a member of the old brigade.

I hope that you too maintain connection with older people. After all, you will be one someday. Being close to older people connects you with a spirit that is closer to God.

James 4:14 – Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.

Ecclesiastes 12:7 – And the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

What is your view of old people?

You may feel that older people are different to you, especially if you are young. Older people are slower moving. Subconsciously you may associate that with slow thinking and not being driven. Perhaps you don’t want to associate with “fuddy duddies” and that’s a shame. They may be old but their time is not finished and they are still relevant.

We are lucky because our daughter and her family include us as valued members of the family tree. In my view, family trees are drawn the wrong way around. Older relatives at the top and younger ones on the bottom. Showing them the other way around would be better. Older people being the support at the bottom and the tree growing upwards and outward. That would identify that we are all interconnected and dependant on one another.

2 Corinthians 4:16 – So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.

Psalm 92:14 – They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green,

Grumpy old men and grumpy old women

Many older people seem to complain endlessly. It’s probably due to the fact that they are experiencing aches and pains; and are unable to do things that they used to do. Groaning and moaning becomes commonplace. 

Psalm 73:26 – My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

But that is not bitterness, it’s just a natural human reaction to things that hurt. A little kindness to such people can go such a long way. In fact, kindness can go a long way with anyone, no matter what their age. It’s consistent with Christian values.

Ephesians 4:32 – Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Proverbs 11:17 – A man who is kind benefits himself, but a cruel man hurts himself.

Wisdom

Old people have obviously been around for a long time. They have reached a point where they recognise what’s most important in life. I’m not suggesting that when you are young you don’t value the same things as older people. I’m suggesting that the older you get the less relevant are the things of the world. This ensures that the focus is more on the things that matter. Family, friendship, caring and love. It’s not a focus on self-interest, at least in regard to the accumulation of wealth and power.

Following my training as a Civil Engineer I started to work in that profession. I soon discovered that in the field many “uneducated” workers knew so much more about their work than I did. I was absolutely green. My education had taught me many things. It taught me how to process information, how to analyse and how to do calculations that in most workplaces didn’t matter. What it didn’t teach me was that everyone had value and everyone had a contribution to make. I didn’t learn in a lecture theatre the limited knowledge that I had about human relationships. That was something that only came later; when I had lived life.

Job 12:12 – Wisdom is with the aged, and understanding in length of days.

Life experience is of greater value than a structured education.