Getting Older

Getting Older

Though this may not have happened to you, there are moments  that I feel so out of touch with what is going on around me. It’s as if the world left me behind or maybe I inadvertently left the world behind.  But there is no doubt that our society idolizes youth and marginalizes the elderly.  Depending on the what you might watch on TV, you will see advertisements suited to your age.  For example, Blue Bloods had advertisements for those of us who are aging fast while other shows, have advertisements to enhance one’s beauty or energy, or diet.

Then there is this feeling that I am not able to do what I was able to do even 10 years ago, let alone 40 years ago. And if I am honest with myself, I realize, at times, that I’m not clicking along on all cylinders.  Few hire older folks except maybe “Chic Fil A”, and they simply wipe the tables off and clean up the spilled food and drink.

And now, the pressure is on in our country to get ride of unwanted seniors through euthanasia, doctor assisted suicide, all because no one wants us or we are taking up valuable space, or there is no one to care for us.  This can be so heavy to carry.

Then I came across Psalm 71:9: “Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone.”

I’m not sure who wrote this particular Psalm, but he must have been older (:9,:18). He senses the:

• the disrespect (:1,:4, :10-11) that comes  to older people
• recognizes his loss of physical strength (:9)
• and, feels vulnerable and dependent upon others (:4, :11, :15)

But this we know, the Psalmist who wrote this is one who has walked with God. He wrote: “You have been my hope, Sovereign Lord, my confidence since my youth” (:5).  

Looking at the structure of the Psalm three things stand out:

1. He looks back over his past and knows God has been faithful and can be trusted with the future.  He knows that God will take are of him.
2. He knows that he is not without purpose in life.  He has a responsibility to relay what God has done to the next generation.  He asks God not to forsake him “till I declare Your power to the next generation, Your mighty acts to all who bare to come (:18).  Longevity makes that possible.  
3. Yes, like most all of us, he pleads with God not to do to him what others have tried to do to him. In other words, don’t cast me off or forsake me. Its like a reminder to God that we as His creation have an urgency to tell Him.  But note this. Following his plead to God, he returns to joyful praise.

Let me share this with you as I am about to close;

• Think back and remember what God did for you. 
• Continue to praise God as you grow older, because you are also growing wiser 
• By ‘reminding’  God of His promises, let that be a release valve for your stress and anxiety about the future because God always hears us and keeps His promises
• Let us be a witness to others of the great deeds in our lives.
• Finally, remember where our true home is.  Indeed, we have something to look forward to.

Have a blessed new year, 2026.  Thanks for joining me in my thoughts.

Grace and Peace,

Quentin

Sharecropper’s Inheritance

Epiphany