This week, began a third small group Bible study about "Senior Spirituality." It was the study of my dissertation 24 years ago. Back then the over 55 group was the fastest growing segment of our population in America with 31 million. Today that number has doubled to 62 million. Our culture teaches us to fight aging- coloring our hair, hiding wrinkles and age spots, contacts or laser surgery to replace glasses, etc. But despite our putting on the brakes, the car keeps moving forward. Often we expect curriculum to be graded for kids (curriculum for K, 1, 2, 3, etc.) and even teens or young adults. But we do not look at scripture the same when we were 5 as when we are 15 or 25. But we also shouldn't just group people into "adults." God is the same for all ages, but how we view and need God changes with our circumstances, but also with our age. Psalm 23 was different for most in confirmation class than when we had our first child to when we had our first grandchild.
Older adults have specific gains and losses. From a secular point of view older adults are seen as losing a lot. In our culture of valuing making money, being productive, looking beautiful/handsome, and having energy- we only see older adults as having lost these things. We forget that older adults have experience, often more money (though older adults have a deep disparity between those who have nothing and those who have way above average), and they have more leisure/flex time and peace than the younger adult. Yet there are clear losses. For Christians, each loss is like a cross to bear in which we can learn but also grow closer in dependence and love for God. Each loss is an opportunity. John Calvin talked about the first and hardest part of the Christian life is what is called "mortification." Mortification is dying to our pride (like our sense of indispensability), and realizing we will have to give up everything in this life eventually. Jesus said "If anyone follows me, let them deny themselves, take up their cross daily and follow me" (Lk. 9:23). Part of denying ourselves (our living for our own comfort), is to recognize our losses can be opportunities for spiritual awakening (vivification). When we truly can let go of our losses and adapt to them as opportunities to adapt to what God is doing in our lives, we can come alive to Him. Below is a chart of older adult gains, losses, and spiritual opportunities. Part of aging well, is recognizing where we are in life, adapting to that, and living the best life where we are.
This is a prayer to age well by Teillhard de Chardin- the famous Christian French Philosopher:
When the signs of age begin to mark my body, and still more when they touch my mind; When the illness that is to diminish me or carry me off strikes from without or is born within me; When the painful moment comes to which I suddenly awaken to the fact that I am growing ill or growing old; and Above all at the last moment when I feel I am losing hold of myself and am absolutely passive within the hands of the great unknown forces that have formed me, In all these dark moments, 0 God, Grant that I may understand that it is you—provided only my faith is strong enough— who is painfully parting the fibers of my being in order to penetrate to the very marrow of my substance and bear me away within yourself.
