Well-Aged Wisdom

Our culture seems allergic to age. Book, movie, and television plots rarely portray heroes and heroines above the age of thirty. Advertisements avoid older actors unless the product involves disease. Instead, the media presents young, healthy people as experts in every situation, despite their lack of experience.

It’s easy for Christians to absorb this attitude, especially when aged parents need help in managing their everyday lives. God does not expect us to agree with them all the time. The years take a toll on decision-making abilities, and sometimes we must make unpopular choices for our parents. But as we provide medical, financial, and household assistance, we should offer them as much independence as possible.

The Bible also urges younger believers to look to older Christians for advice and prayer. An eighty-five-year-old saint may use a walker, but the lifetime lessons of faith she has learned remain strong and steady. Her prayers for her children are no less powerful than when she prayed at their bedside; in fact, they have grown up with her sons, daughters, and grandchildren. An old man may seem at the mercy of his hearing aids; but his spiritual ears have sharpened with the years. He hears God clearly, and God always hears him.

Shouldn’t we listen, as well?