The last temptations of the aged

“They will still bear fruit in old age; they will be full of sap and very green….” (Psalm 92:14)

Here’s what happened.

As I was surfing through the program containing all the articles in this website from nearly twenty years of blogging, I came across an unfinished draft called “the last temptations of the aged.”  I breezed right past it, in search of something else I was looking for.

A moment later, I was back.  That was an intriguing title, I thought.  Must have started that article a year or more back. Wonder what it says.

After reading it, I deleted the entire thing.

It was indeed written a few years back, and then left in the program and forgotten.  But the strange part is that nothing it said applies to my life now.

Not a thing.

Here is a list that will stand the test of time, methinks, and may apply to a great segment of geriatrics as we move into life’s red zone.  Let’s think of these as the last temptations of the aged….

1) The elderly are tempted to grow sentimental about the past and negative about the present.

The cartoon showed an old gent on his front porch telling someone, “Yep, in my 88 years, I’ve seen a lot of changes. And I been agin every one of them!”

That’s a caricature. Not all seniors are that way, thank the Lord. There are a lot of optimistic and positive older people. I delight in the promises of Psalm 92:14– They will still bear fruit in old age; they will be full of sap (youthful!) and very green….

2) They are tempted to remember the wrong things. The elderly often recall hurts and slights that were merely passing things from a friend or loved one and exaggerate them all out of proportion in memory.

Those old slights and pains should have been forgotten and forgiven and buried.

When my Dad was in his 90s, he kept talking about something his mother did to him when he was 18.  We would try to reason him out of it, but nothing worked. Only time took care of this.

3) They are tempted to grow fearful about their future. And let’s be honest, not without some justification. As people grow older it’s a given that they will have more aches and pains, make frequent trips to the doctor, have higher medical bills, and become more dependent on others.  Furthermore, the ups and downs of the economy may affect them personally.

4) They are tempted to make fewer friends. Since the elderly are gradually losing longtime friends to death–death is a fact of life, so to speak–there is a temptation to make fewer friends. So, they get lonely. And they become a bigger burden to their children as a result.

5) They are tempted to become less and less social, to cut oneself off from the few remaining friends and make fewer and fewer new ones.

Marguerite Briscoe was a retired elementary school principal when we first met. I was 30 years old and the newest member of her church staff.  I quickly came to bask in the light in her eyes and the joy in her smile.  And so did everyone else, particularly the single young adults in our church.  So, when they recruited her to be one of their department’s “sponsors,” she accepted although somewhat tentatively. “What would I have to do?” she asked.  And the half-dozen young adults said to her, “Just be yourself!”

Even though she was in her mid-70s, she insisted everyone call her Marguerite.  She attended their Sunday School class and various functions, and would sometimes host Bible studies or informal gatherings of the group in her apartment.  The “kids” did all the work and helped her pick up afterwards.

When Marguerite Briscoe went to heaven–nearly twenty years later–she left behind a world of friends and loved ones, people in whom she had invested her life after retirement.

She became my role model without ever knowing it.

What the believing seniors must do as they advance into these golden years…

–The Christian senior has to keep believing God’s word. The just shall live by faith (Habakkuk 2:4) and We walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).  So, they must keep their eyes on the Lord.

–The Christian senior has to take the long, long view.  This momentary light affliction is working for us an exceeding weight of glory far beyond all comprehension (2 Corinthians 4:17).  The troubles are temporary, and just on the other side is glory.

–The Christian senior has to find creative ways to bear fruit for the Lord.  Pray for that one, write a note to this one, give money to the other. Talk to advisors about blessing some special person or some great ministry in their will.  And pray.  Nothing is more needed in this fallen world than the faithful prayers of God’s people.

–The Christian senior has to go out of his/her way to find laughter.  Laughter is as much a tonic for the soul as vitamins are for the body.  It “doeth good like a medicine,” said Solomon.  He was right.  In fact, laughter is better than medicine and a lot cheaper.

–The Christian senior needs to be proactive before stepping outside the house to go anywhere.  What should I wear? Which shoes would be comfortable and safe? Should I carry my cane? Yes, but more than these.  How about: I must remember to smile; I will speak pleasantly to everyone.  God, please use me to encourage the downhearted and give light to those struggling to find the way.  And help me to restrain the desire to criticize.  (People hate to be around complainers, and we oldsters seem to fall into that pattern too easily.)

I started to say it’s a never-ending struggle, but that’s not right.  It has an end. This is a “momentary, light affliction,” after all.

Before long, we shall see the Lord. We shall behold His face in righteousness, and I shall be satisfied with His likeness when I awaken (Psalm 17:15).

It’s just a short phase we’re passing through, fellow seniors.

Let’s pray for one another and encourage each other.  These days are short and eternity is long.

I can’t wait.

3 thoughts on “The last temptations of the aged

  1. So thankful for your influence and positive example! God bless you, and as always this one is so “spot on”! You have encouraged me in many ways throughout many years, and I appreciate that!!

  2. What a heart-warming and inspirational article for seniors like me. I definitely feel that the Lord led me to your blog. I especially want to print out your words of wisdom about what seniors must do as they advance into these golden years. With my four daughters grown, married, and so busy raising their families, two living in other states,… and with my assisted living home being on total lock-down since March, anyway, (no visitors, etc.) because of the pandemic, including no in-church services on Sundays, having to eat our meals in our rooms instead of being able to socialize with other seniors in our dining rooms, I admit my life had come to the point of feeling vague, numb, and not really needed by the Lord.

    Thank you so much for reminding me about all I can still do for others, about the priceless gift of still being able to laugh, and most importantly of all, to keep believing in God’s word. 🙂

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