I have been told that it is not how old you are, but how you are old. I agree with Bernard Baruch who said, “To me – old age is fifteen years older than I am!” My Dad used to say “Growing old isn’t so bad when you consider the alternative”.
The Word is rich with wise instruction concerning our attitude toward the “old”.
My husband, Ralph with his sweet mother, Germaine, who lived with us her last 15 years.
Psalm 92: 14 gives us A PROMISE when speaking of …the advanced in age that bear the fruit of the righteous:
“They will STILL bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green,
proclaiming the Lord upright; he is their Rock and there is no
wickedness in them”!
Ø Deut. 28: 50 mentions “a fierce-looking nation without RESPECT for the old”…(Respect should be expected…this nation was noted for its disrespect!)
Ø The Third Commandment is devoted to the HONOR our parents are to receive from us! (There is no designated age termination for this command!)
Ø Joseph brought his father and his entire family to live with him in Egypt during the famine. (We are to be concerned for them and look for opportunities to meet their need) One of the biggest blessings of my life was when my mother-in-law came to live with us for the last 17 years of her life.
Ø The Old Testament saints carried the dead bones (!) of their ancestors with them when God moved them to another country! (Talk about reverence!)
Ø Somehow the patriarchs of old, wisely led nations for generations before dying a “good old age”. “1 Chronicles 29:28
Age does not define our relevance, but it often reveals our place of usefulness in our present culture. All of us have the need to be connected. You may be saying, “Well… my mother, mother-in-law, grandmother, great-grandmother (etc…) is not deserving of my honor and respect”.
We do not choose our place of birth but we do choose how we allow God to use our circumstances to produce His life in us!
Psalm 39: 5 tells us what God thinks about age, spoken by David:
“You have made my days a mere handbreadth;
the span of my years is nothing before you.”
Each man’s life is but a breath!
Life is inordinately SHORT BUT there is always enough time “to heed His instruction”. There are no exception clauses to obedience…just the command!
“So be wise, my daughter, heed His instruction, leave that road that leads to destruction…hallow His Name, and don’t walk in shame…”
How do you wisely show honor for those who have gone before you?
Do your little princesses and princes see and hear
your reverence for
“the aged”?
Don’t hinder God’s work!
These “invisible” personalities are God-given with the divine purpose
of producing the character of Christ in us!
~Jackie Johnson - I am a former tribal missionary to the Kuna Indians on the Colombian border in Central America. Fluent in several languages, my husband and I currently pastor a Spanish-speaking church in Southern California. My passion is discipling and equipping dedicated young women for life, marriage, motherhood, and beyond. I am the mother of two daughters and the grandmother of three Princesses and four young Knights.
