Some Thoughts On Aging

Will your miracles be known in the dark grave? Will your goodness be known in the land of forgetfulness? --Psalm 88:12 (NCV)

From Success to Significance

"What am I going to do with the rest of my life?" This is a question that countless retirees struggle with as they make the transition out of their careers. The prospect of twenty or more years with time on one's hands can be a scary thing. Likewise, many people who have reached middle age start to wonder what they will accomplish during the second half of life, especially if they have met or exceeded their career goals. For many, there is a longing to move beyond success to significance: "What am I going to do that matters?"

David's words in Psalm 71 should inspire and direct anyone who is contemplating how to have a meaningful, satisfying life in the later years. David was determined to declare the Lord not only to his own generation, but to later ones as well (Ps. 71:18). To that end, he asked God for continued strength. We can well imagine that the mere fact that David had such a clearly defined purpose was itself a source of vitality and strength.

To what purpose will you give your life in your final years? Is it big enough to energize you and keep you motivated? The elderly tend to have control over valuable resources, such as money, property, time, wisdom, experience, friendships, and memories. Can you find ways to make these available to others, in order to accomplish something significant for God?

Declining Years

Young people commonly think and act as if they were going to live forever. For that reason, Ecclesiastes 12 paints a picture of old age and introduces it to young people with the warning, "Remember your Creator in the days of your youth."

As presented in Ecclesiastes 12:1-5, old age is not a pretty picture:

• It is a period of "difficult days" in which one takes "no pleasure."
• It is a time of disorientation.
• The hands ("keepers of the house") shake and tremble.
• The legs and back ("strong men") now bend and stoop.
• The teeth ("grinders") begin to fall out and chewing becomes difficult.
• The eyes ("windows") grow dim.
• The hearing ("doors") grows weak.
• One loses one's appetite ("grinding").
• Insomnia (waking up "at the sound of a bird") sets in.
• The voice ("daughters of music") grows feeble and faint.
• One is terrified of falling.
• The hair turns white, like almond tree blossoms.
• Getting around is much harder, like an old grasshopper dragging itself along.
• The will to hang onto life begins to fail, and death awaits.

Certainly there are many elderly who defy this portrait. Yet in the main, the conditions mentioned are typical. Ecclesiastes warns the young to remember God before earthly life ends. Several images convey the coming of death and mourning: a silver cord is loosened, a bowl is broken, a pitcher is shattered, a wheel ceases to turn (12:6), the "dust" of the body returns to earth (12:7; cf. Gen. 3:19; Job 34:15), and the spirit goes to God, presumably for judgment (Eccl. 12:7, 14).

This is the fate of every human being. No matter how young or old we are, every day each of us is a bit closer to death. Given that reality, Ecclesiastes challenges young people to live unto God, for life is empty and meaningless without Him.

Growing Old Gracefully

Do you fear the weariness of growing old? Are you resisting the aging process?

David discovered that a loss of vitality-one of the signs of old age-is sometimes related to unconfessed sin. The only way to deal with that was confession and repentance (Ps. 32:3-5).

David also learned that life is a choice between obeying God voluntarily or stubbornly resisting His ways, like a horse or a mule which has no understanding and must be harnessed to be brought under control (32:8-9).

In his later years, David brought together what he had learned about the connection between physical vitality and spiritual obedience when he wrote, "I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread" (Ps. 37:25).

You might see in David's words a challenge to ask what pattern you are choosing-voluntary cooperation with God, which tends to lead to a long life of vitality, or stubborn resistance against His will, which will drain and ultimately break you. Are there sins in your life that have gone unconfessed, perhaps for years? Why not settle the account with the Lord right now by praying a prayer of repentance from sin, and openly admitting your need for God's forgiveness and cleansing?

Flourishing or Fading in Old Age?

Consider your feelings about growing old. Who are the elderly people you know? Perhaps you already are among them, but if not, how does it feel to know that before long, you will be joining the ranks of senior citizens?

The Book of Psalms speaks in several places about the kind of life the aged live. One possibility is to still be "bearing fruit" in old age, like a magnificent old fruit tree that is still flourishing (Ps. 92:14). But another psalm expresses fear of being cast aside and ignored when age causes the psalmist's strength to falter (71:9). What accounts for this contrast?

The difference between flourishing or fading in old age seems to be the issue of righteousness (92:12). Those who have lived for God during their lives tend to keep bearing fruit even in their senior years. In fact, many of the seeds they have planted, either in their own lives or in the lives of others, sprout up and mature into a harvest of goodness (compare Gal. 6:7-10). But those who have squandered their lives in self-centered pursuits that ignore God's ways usually have little to show as they come to the end of their days.

This psalm challenges us to consider whether we are preparing for our final years by living with righteousness today. What seeds are we sowing, and what harvest are we planning for?