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Growing Old – Staying Fresh and Green
Throughout Scripture, the Lord used many older people as His instruments of grace. He even called Joshua “old, advanced in years” (Joshua 13:1) and still wanted him to keep serving because “there remains very much land yet to be possessed.” It reminded me that you and I as believers never retire from our calling to witness and work in God’s Kingdom until He takes us home. When you read your Bible, do words sometimes leap off the page at you? When that happens to me, I know the Holy Spirit is deliberately capturing my attention. God is definitely speaking to me through His Word at that moment. I’ve read…
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Aging with Joyful Engagement, Rather than Leisure or Resignation: Thank you Shirley Frey
According to a survey conducted for Civic Ventures reported in Time magazine, 24% see retirement primarily as “a time to enjoy leisure activities and take a much deserved rest,” like the couple reported in Reader’s Digest who took early retirement at 59 and 51. “Now they live in Punta Gorda, Florida, where they cruise on their 30-foot trawler, play softball and collect shells.” According to the survey, 59% of older Americans see retirement as “a time to be active and involved, to start new activities, and to set new goals.” A time to create, to study and teach, to grow and share food, to tell and write stories, to…
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Ageing with less fear…more anticipation
At an author’s retreat a few years ago Liz Curtis Higgs grabbed several of us and said, “Come on, let’s take a picture of the Silver Foxes together.” In today's culture that worships youth, her proud ownership of her silvering hair infected all of us. I've never thought of mine quite the same. While ageing is a fact, our attitude determines how we experience it. And more and more of us are experiencing it. Experiencecorps.org reports that by 2030 the number of Americans age 55 and older will reach 107.6 million (31 percent of the population). Americans reaching age 65 today have an average life expectancy of an additional…
