I’ve been dealing with my filing cabinet for some time now. It contains everything I’ve collected over the years, filed alphabetically from A to Z. Three drawers full of papers. Organizing it will be a lengthy process. However, it’s better I do it now rather than leaving the task for my children to deal with down the road. And so, I started this morning. The alphabet begins with “A.” One folder is labelled “Aging – the Final Years.” The folder has lost much of its color. Yellowed and worn out, it lies on my desk. I smile. I created it about 40 years ago to collect information related to aging. I was much younger then. Over the years, additional articles found their way into the folder. Now I’m going through them. Articles copied from books, advice clipped from newspapers, calendar pages, poems, handwritten letters, and even songs. Some of the collection is no longer relevant. It’s outdated, like an article about mowing with a scythe. Who in this day knows what a scythe is? Combines have long replaced the usefulness of the scythe. However, other articles are timeless. They still say something to us today. Here are a few I’ve chosen to highlight.
“Now I am 88 years old…” (Calendar page, 1986) Many things have become difficult due to my health. I often sigh. The body just can’t keep up. It can no longer be repaired. The process of dying has been going on for years. Strength is declining. Life has become an effort. But the true foundation of life remains: Jesus Himself. Without Him, I couldn’t write an article, “Aging Joyfully.” Getting old makes that too difficult. But with joy, I have discovered and confirm that Jesus is the enduring, solid foundation. He is and remains the One Who walks beside His people, even as the body deteriorates. This is our unique privilege: to grow old with Jesus. (Erich Schnepel)
An Old Person’s Prayer (Calendar page, 1985)
Thank you to everyone who shows understanding for my faltering foot and my trembling hand.
Who understands that my ear strains to catch everything that is said.
Who seems to know my vision is limited and my thinking delayed.
Thank you to everyone who has a warm smile and takes time to chat a little with me.
Who doesn’t say: “You’ve already told me that story twice today.”
Who makes me feel that I am loved, valued, and not abandoned.
Thank you for each person who graciously encourages me on the remaining days of my journey to my eternal home.
He Had a “Senior Moment” (Calendar page, 1999)
I first met him after his prime, when he was already an old man. But I could still appreciate his gifts. Many current church workers were indebted to him for his motivational impulses. In fifty years of children’s ministry and decades of working with youth, he had proclaimed Jesus as Savior and Lord. And then he was old. He struggled with various ailments. Memories of the war came to mind. Not good ones. And eventually his cognition declined; he had “mental glitches.” Sometimes he told the same story three times, and other times he couldn’t get it straight at all. But it was during this time that he impressed me the most, because he could say “yes” to God’s way. He said “yes” to his current limitations: “I accept them from God’s hand.” “Yes” to his past: “I know Jesus has forgiven me.” “Yes” to his “senior moments:” “If God allows this, then He knows what He is doing. I will praise Him even for that.” – Oh, how often I complain when things don’t go my way. I want to learn to accept the things I cannot change from God and praise Him.
Bible Reading: Luke 2:36-40 (Calendar page, 1972) We read of the elderly prophet, Anna (84 years old), of how she praised God and spoke of Him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. That old people often enjoy talking a lot may be linked to their increased isolation. Generally, they talk about themselves and the past. They find today’s world incomprehensible, and the future looks dark and dreary. The underlying tone of their speech is often a lament: “Everything was better before; now it’s all over, and things keep getting worse.” This outlook is understandable when one realizes that life is winding down and physical ability continues to decline. And when life’s failures keep surfacing, it’s no wonder that regrets lead to despondency. The autumn of life brings an epiphany of the futility of striving. It magnifies the moral depravity around us and the rubble of a ruined life. But it brings no comfort and no hope.
The prophetess Anna is old, but she exemplifies how to age well. She lives in the moment with an awareness of what is happening. She sees the hand of God and praises God, not singing songs of lament. She is joyful and looks to the future with trust. She does not talk about herself but about Him, the Son of God, and encourages others to believe and hope. A senior with this mindset is a gift from God. It’s another reason she is called a prophetess. This cannot be done without the LORD’s help. Even today, there are people who age gracefully with God, knowing their future is not death but everlasting life with the LORD. (Walter Paulo)
I Have Seen Your Goodness (Calendar page, 2004) LORD, I look back. I walk again the path through all my years. I don’t consider my achievements. They are few. Nor of the good I have done. It has little value against the things I wished I would have done.
I think of Your goodness and all You have done, and I thank You. For those who walked with me, for all the kindness and love which I have received, far more than I even know. For every pleasant day and every restful night. For the grace that protected me in times of fear, guilt, and loneliness. I recall the hardships I have endured, the sorrow and struggles whose purpose I fail to see. I place this in Your hands and ask You: When I meet You, show me the reason why. I look back, LORD, on all those years. My work is done, my dreams are gone, but You are constant. Now let me go in peace and home to You, for I have seen Your goodness. (Jörg Zink)
My file has shrunk a bit. I enjoyed reviewing the articles. They have encouraged me. But more importantly, I have made resolutions for going forward.
Harry Semenjuk
Wetaskiwin, Alberta
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