108 Sermon Illustrations on Old Age

"The Devil has no happy old people," it has been said. In all my

contacts with the aged I have never conversed with one old person who

had lived a devout Christian life and was sorry for it. On the other

hand, some of the most miserable people I have ever met were old folks

without the joy and peace that comes to those who have lived well. An

aged sinner was converted on his deathbed, yet kept mourning and

shedding penitential tears. The pastor tried to make the man joyful

as a consequence of his conversion. "Alas," said the aged convert,

"while I know I am saved, yet I can't redeem those wasted years. I go

empty-handed into the presence of my Lord; I have no trophies to lay

at his pierced feet."

- Paul E. Holdcraft, {Cyclopedia of Bible Illustrations} (New

York: Abingdon-Cokesbury Press) 11

Charming childhood,

Tender teens,

Teachable twenties,

Tireless thirties,

Fiery forties,

Forceful fifties,

Serious sixties,

Sober

seventies,

Aching eighties,

Death, the sod, God.

-- Author unknown

________

Paul E. Holdcraft, CYCLOPEDIA OF BIBLE ILLUSTRATIONS (New York: Abingdon-Cokesbury Press), pp. 11-12

Put your arms around me - there, like that;

I want a little petting at life's setting,

For 'tis hard to be brave

When feeble age comes creeping and finds me weeping,

Dear ones gone.

Just a little petting at life's setting;

For I'm old, alone and tired,

And my long life's work is done.

-- Elizabeth Porter Gould

________

Paul E. Holdcraft, CYCLOPEDIA OF BIBLE ILLUSTRATIONS (New York: Abingdon-Cokesbury Press), p. 12

How's this for a great perspective on life when you're 100 years

young?

Henry Stenhouse, a 100 year old Goldsboro, N.C. eye doctor running

for Congress in North Carolina's 3rd District, figures time is on his

side. He calls his two opponents in today's Republican primary

"capable." But, he says, "They don't have the advantage I have."

What's that? "Perspective," says the man aiming to be Congress's

first centenarian. The district hasn't had a GOP representative since

Reconstruction, but Stenhouse is undeterred.

His platform: Stop foreign aid. End welfare. Rewrite the tax

code. He calls child care "another welfare thing" and says the

country would be better off if women stayed home.

Stenhouse vows not to serve more than two terms. "I don't want to

be there all my life," he reasons. --Desda Moss

"On Winston Churchill's seventy-fifth birthday, a photographer

said, 'I hope sir, that I will shoot your picture on your hundredth

birthday.' Churchill answered: 'I don't see why not, young man. You

look reasonably fit and healthy'." --William Manchester

"The world stands aside," said David Jordan, "to let anyone pass

who knows where he is going." This applies to those, who learn where

they are going late in life as well as for the young. At age 53,

Margaret Thatcher became Britain's first female prime minister. At 64,

Francis Chichester sailed alone around the world in a 53-foot yacht.

At 65, Winston Churchill became British prime minister for the first

time and started the epic struggle against Hitler. At 72, Golda Meir

became prime minister of Israel. At 75, Ed Delano of California

bicycled 3100 miles in 33 days to attend his 50th college reunion in

Worcester, Massachusetts. At 76, Cardinal Angelo Roncalli

became Pope John XXIII and inaugurated major changes in his church. At

80, Grandma Moses, who had started painting in her late 70s, had her

first one-woman exhibit. At 81, Benjamin Franklin skillfully mediated

between disagreeing factions at the U. S. Constitutional Convention.

At 80, Winston Churchill returned to the House of Commons as a member

of parliament and also exhibited 62 of his paintings. At 96, George

C. Selbach scored a 110-yard hole-in-one at Indian River, Michigan.

And on his 100th birthday, ragtime pianist Eubie Blake exclaimed, "If

I'd known I was going to live this long, I'd have taken better care of

myself."

In 1846 former president John Quincy Adams suffered a stroke. Although he returned to Congress the following year, his health was clearly failing. Daniel Webster described his last meeting with Adams: "Someone, a friend of his came in and made particular inquiry of his health. Adams answered, 'I inhabit a weak, frail, decayed tenement; battered by the winds and broken in upon by the storms, and, from all I can learn, the landlord does not intend to repair.'"

For most people, the approach of death is signaled by failures in mind and body. Once young and vigorous men and women watch helplessly as their aging bodies fail. But death did not claim Jesus Christ as a helpless victim. Instead, Jesus set His face toward Jerusalem and journeyed to the place where He would overcome death.

[similar to HolwickID #20729]

A friend of the French composer Daniel Francois Auber once remarked to him, "My friend, we're all getting older, aren't we?"

Auber sighed, "Well there's no help for it. Aging seems to be the only available way to live a long time." Auber was so determined to live a long time that he refused to think about death, and whenever he was reminded of its approach he would say, "I'll pay no attention to it." But in his old age the composer began to accommodate himself to the idea of his mortality. At a funeral service which he was compelled to attend, Auber remarked to one of his fellow mourners, "I believe this is the last time I'll take part as an amateur."

In the late 1400s the great Italian artist and sculptor Michelangelo began his career. He finished the sculpture “Madonna of the Stairs” and followed it with other classics such as “The Crucifixion,” “David,” “Madonna and Child,” “Moses,” and “Christ Bearing the Cross.” However, it wasn’t until late in his life that Michelangelo completed what many believe to be his greatest masterpiece. He was almost 90 years old when he finished painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican in Rome. Painting from a scaffold far above the floor, this elderly genius painted “The Last Judgment,” “The Conversion of Paul,” “The Crucifixion of Peter,” and “The Creation.” It was Michelangelo’s last work, and arguably his greatest.

In one sense, God also saved His best for last. He thundered His Law to Moses, but it wasn’t His last word. He spoke mightily through the prophets, but His greatest revelation was still ahead: Jesus!

Old age is like climbing a mountain. The higher you get, the more

tired and breathless you become. But your view becomes much more

extensive.

- Charles Marowitz, {New York Times}

It was Grandfather's birthday. He was 79. He got up early shaved,

showered, combed his hair and put on his Sunday best so he would look

nice when they came.

He skipped his daily walk to the town cafe where he had coffee with

his cronies. He wanted to be home when they came.

He put his porch chair on the sidewalk so he could get a better

view of the street when they drove up to help celebrate his birthday.

At noon, he got tired but decided to forgo his nap so he could be

there when the came. Most of the rest of the afternoon he spent near

the telephone so he could answer it when they called.

He has five married children, 13 grandchildren and three

great-grandchildren. One son and daughter live within 10 miles of his

place. They hadn't visited him for a long time. But today was his

birhtday, and they were sure to come.

At suppertime, he left the cake untouched so they could cut it and

have dessert with him.

After supper, he sat on the porch waiting.

At 8:30, he went to his room to prepare for bed. Before retiring,

he left a note on the door, which read, "Be sure to wake me up when

they come."

It was Grandfather's birthday. He was 79.

- Rudy Joe Mano as appeared in Ann Landers, {Courier-Journal,

}Saturday, November 11, 1995, p. 24

Grandma Moses painted at age 100. George Bernard Shaw wrote plays at 93. Albert Schweitzer ran a hospital in Africa at 89. Respect age and live every day until you die.

Dallas Times Herald, 8 July, 1991, A-2

While waiting for my first appointment in the reception room of a new dentist, I noticed his certificate, which bore his full name. Suddenly, I remembered that a tall, handsome boy with the same name had been in my high school class some 40 years ago.

Upon seeing him, however, I quickly discarded any such thought. This balding, gray-haired man with the deeply lined face was too old to have been my classmate.

After he had examined my teeth, I asked him if he had attended the local high school.

“Yes,” he replied.

“When did you graduate?” I asked.

He answered, “In 1944.”

“Why, you were in my class!” I exclaimed.

He looked at me closely and then asked, “What did you teach?”

________

PAULandBARB76@webtv.net (Paul Edward Paulsen)

When an old lady died in the geriatric ward of a small hospital near Dundee, Scotland, it was felt that she had nothing left of any value. Later, when the nurses were going through her meager possessions, they found this poem.

Its quality and content so impressed the staff that copies were made and distributed to every nurse in the hospital. One nurse took her copy to Ireland. The old lady's sole bequest to posterity has since appeared in the Christmas edition of the News Magazine of the North Ireland Association for Mental Health.

... AN OLD LADY'S POEM

What do you see, nurses, what do you see?

What are you thinking when you're looking at me?

A crabby old woman, not very wise,

Uncertain of habit, with faraway eyes?

Who dribbles her food and makes no reply

When you say in a loud voice, "I do wish you'd try!"

Who seems not to notice the things that you do,

And forever is losing a stocking or shoe...

Who, resisting or not, lets you do as you will,

With bathing and feeding, the long day to fill...

Is that what you're thinking? Is that what you see?

Then open your eyes, nurse; you're not looking at me.

I'll tell you who I am as I sit here so still,

As I do at your bidding, as I eat at your will.

I'm a small child of ten... with a father and mother,

Brothers and sisters, who love one another.

A young girl of sixteen, with wings on her feet,

Dreaming that soon now a lover she'll meet.

A bride soon at twenty -- my heart gives a leap,

Remembering the vows that I promised to keep.

At twenty-five now, I have young of my own,

Who need me to guide and a secure happy home.

A woman of thirty, my young now grown fast,

Bound to each other with ties that should last.

At forty, my young sons have grown and are gone,

But my man's beside me to see I don't mourn.

At fifty once more, babies play round my knee,

Again we know children, my loved one and me.

Dark days are upon me, my husband is dead;

I look at the future, I shudder with dread.

For my young are all rearing young of their own,

And I think of the years and the love that I've known.

I'm now an old woman... and nature is cruel;

'Tis jest to make old age look like a fool.

The body, it crumbles, grace and vigor depart,

There is now a stone where I once had a heart.

But inside this old carcass a young girl still dwells,

And now and again my battered heart swells.

I remember the joys, I remember the pain,

And I'm loving and living life over again.

I think of the years... all too few, gone too fast,

And accept the stark fact that nothing can last.

So open your eyes, nurses, open and see,

Not a crabby old woman; look closer... see ME!!

The question is asked, "Is there anything more beautiful in life than a boy and girl clasping clean hands and pure hearts in the path of marriage?" And the answer is given, "Yes - there is a more beautiful thing; it is the spectacle of an old man and an old woman finishing their journey together on that path. Their hands are gnarled but still clasped; their faces are seamed but still radiant; their hearts are tired and bowed down but still strong. They have proved the happiness of marriage and have vindicated it from the jeers of cynics."

An elderly gent was invited to his old friends' home for dinner one evening.

He was impressed by the way his buddy preceded every request to his wife with endearing terms - calling her, "Honey", "My Love", "Darling", "Sweetheart", "Pumpkin", etc. The couple had been married almost 70 years, and it seemed they were still very much in love.

While the wife was off in the kitchen, the man leaned over and said to his buddy, "I think it's wonderful that, after all the years you've been married, you still call your wife those loving pet names."

The old man hung his head. "I have to tell you the truth," he said. "I forgot her name about ten years ago."

As I walked home one freezing day, I stumbled on a wallet someone had lost in the street. I picked it up and looked inside to find some identification so I could call the owner. But the wallet contained only three dollars and a crumpled letter that looked as if it had been in there for years.

The envelope was worn and the only thing that was legible on it was the return address. I started to open the letter, hoping to find some clue. Then I saw the dateline -- 1924. The letter had been written almost sixty years ago.

It was written in a beautiful feminine handwriting on powder blue stationery with a little flower in the left-hand corner. It was a "Dear John" letter that told the recipient, whose name appeared to be Michael, that the writer could not see him any more because her mother forbade it. Even so, she wrote that she would always love him. It was signed, Hannah.

It was a beautiful letter, but there was no way except for the name Michael, that the owner could be identified. Maybe if I called information, the operator could find a phone listing for the address on the envelope. "Operator," I began, "this is an unusual request. I'm trying to find the owner of a wallet that I found. Is there anyway you can tell me if there is a phone number for an address that was on an envelope in the wallet?" She suggested I speak with her supervisor, who hesitated for a moment then said, "Well, there is a phone listing at that address, but I can't give you the number." She said, as a courtesy, she would call that number, explain my story and would ask them if they wanted her to connect me. I waited a few minutes and then she was back on the line. "I have a party who will speak with you."

I asked the woman on the other end of the line if she knew anyone by the name of Hannah. She gasped, "Oh! We bought this house from a family who had a daughter named Hannah. But that was 30 years ago!"

"Would you know where that family could be located now?" I asked.

"I remember that Hannah had to place her mother in a nursing home some years ago," the woman said. "Maybe if you got in touch with them they might be able to track down the daughter."

She gave me the name of the nursing home and I called the number. They told me the old lady had passed away some years ago but they did have a phone number for where they thought the daughter might be living.

I thanked them and phoned. The woman who answered explained that Hannah herself was now living in a nursing home.

This whole thing was stupid, I thought to myself. Why was I making such a big deal over finding the owner of a wallet that had only three dollars and a letter that was almost 60 years old?

Nevertheless, I called the nursing home in which Hannah was supposed to be living and the man who answered the phone told me, "Yes, Hannah is staying with us. "

Even though it was already 10 p.m., I asked if I could come by to see her. "Well," he said hesitatingly, "if you want to take a chance, she might be in the day room watching television."

I thanked him and drove over to the nursing home. The night nurse and a guard greeted me at the door. We went up to the third floor of the large building.

In the day room, the nurse introduced me to Hannah. She was a sweet, silver-haired old timer with a warm smile and a twinkle in her eye.

I told her about finding the wallet and showed her the letter. The second she saw the powder blue envelope with that little flower on the left, she took a deep breath and said, "Young man, this letter was the last contact I ever had with Michael."

She looked away for a moment deep in thought and then said Softly, "I loved him very much. But I was only 16 at the time and my mother felt I was too young. Oh, he was so handsome. He looked like Sean Connery, the actor."

"Yes," she continued. "Michael Goldstein was a wonderful person. If you should find him, tell him I think of him often. And," she hesitated for a moment, almost biting her lip, "tell him I still love him. You know," she said smiling as tears began to well up in her eyes, "I never did marry. I guess no one ever matched up to Michael...."

I thanked Hannah and said goodbye. I took the elevator to the first floor and as I stood by the door, the guard there asked, "Was the old lady able to help you?"

I told him she had given me a lead. "At least I have a last name. But I think I'll let it go for a while. I spent almost the whole day trying to find the owner of this wallet."

I had taken out the wallet, which was a simple brown leather case with red lacing on the side. When the guard saw it, he said, "Hey, wait a minute! That's Mr. Goldstein's wallet. I'd know it anywhere with that right red lacing. He's always losing that wallet. I must have found it in the halls at least three times."

"Who's Mr. Goldstein?" I asked as my hand began to shake.

"He's one of the old timers on the 8th floor. That's Mike Goldstein's wallet for sure. He must have lost it on one of his walks."

I thanked the guard and quickly ran back to the nurse's office. I told her what the guard had said. We went back to the elevator and got on. I prayed that Mr. Goldstein would be up.

On the eighth floor, the floor nurse said, "I think he's still in the day room. He likes to read at night. He's a darling old man."

We went to the only room that had any lights on and there was a man reading a book. The nurse went over to him and asked if he had lost his wallet. Mr. Goldstein looked up with surprise, put his hand in his back pocket and said, "Oh, it is missing!"

"This kind gentleman found a wallet and we wondered if it could be yours?"

I handed Mr. Goldstein the wallet and the second he saw it, he smiled with relief and said, "Yes, that's it! It must have dropped out of my pocket this afternoon. I want to give you a reward."

"No, thank you," I said. "But I have to tell you something. I read the letter in the hope of finding out who owned the wallet."

The smile on his face suddenly disappeared. "You read that letter?"

"Not only did I read it, I think I know where Hannah is."

He suddenly grew pale. "Hannah? You know where she is? How is she? Is she still as pretty as she was? Please, please tell me," he begged.

"She's fine...just as pretty as when you knew her," I said softly.

The old man smiled with anticipation and asked, "Could you tell me where she is? I want to call her tomorrow." He grabbed my hand and said, "You know something, mister, I was so in love with that girl that when that letter came, my life literally ended. I never married. I guess I've always loved her. "

"Mr. Goldstein," I said, "Come with me."

We took the elevator down to the third floor. The hallways were darkened and only one or two little night-lights lit our way to the day room where Hannah was sitting alone watching the television. The nurse walked over to her. "Hannah," she said softly, pointing to Michael, who was waiting with me in the doorway. "Do you know this man?"

She adjusted her glasses, looked for a moment, but didn't say a word. Michael said softly, almost in a whisper, "Hannah, it's Michael. Do you remember me?"

She gasped, "Michael! I don't believe it! Michael! It's you! My Michael!" He walked slowly towards her and they embraced. The nurse and I left with tears streaming down our faces.

"See," I said. "See how the Good Lord works! If it's meant to be, it will be."

About three weeks later I got a call at my office from the nursing home. "Can you break away on Sunday to attend a wedding? Michael and Hannah are going to tie the knot!"

It was a beautiful wedding with all the people at the nursing home dressed up to join in the celebration. Hannah wore a light beige dress and looked beautiful. Michael wore a dark blue suit and stood tall. They made me their best man.

The hospital gave them their own room and if you ever wanted to see a 76-year-old bride and a 79-year-old groom acting like two teenagers, you had to see this couple. A perfect ending for a love affair that had lasted nearly sixty years.

_____________

Sent by Rich Massey; Dick Innes, http://www.actsweb.org

*

DO NOT GO GENTLE INTO THAT GOOD NIGHT

Do not go gentle into that good night,

Old age should burn and rave at close of day;

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,

Because their words had forked no lightning they

Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright

Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,

And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,

Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight

Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,

Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray.

Do not go gentle into that good night.

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

-- Dylan Thomas, written on the death of his father

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (Reuters) - Eighty-six years after quitting school to take a job in a silent-movie theater, Ana Molina Osorio became a high school graduate this month at the age of 102.

The great-great grandmother, who hid in a sugar shack a century ago when the U.S. invaded her homeland, said she wanted her diploma so she could work at a local pre-school.

"They need someone to tell them stories -- nobody tells the children stories anymore," she told the San Juan Star Monday at the Capitol building, where the legislature of Puerto Rico, now a U.S. territory, passed an official congratulatory resolution on her behalf.

Molina was the oldest of a group of elderly students who received their high school diplomas last week after taking graduate equivalency classes through the Golden Club, a senior citizens' organization at the housing project where they live.

The new graduates said they found the high school curriculum about the same as when they were teen-agers. But almost all of them said the math was much harder.

________

REUTERS

"For the unlearned, old age is winter. For the learned, it is the season of the harvest."

Hasidic Saying

Cited in BITS & PIECES

MacNeil Jordan was born in Barbados, 100 years ago on Christmas [1902], to parents named Mary and Joseph. He believes in God, family and Cream of Wheat with cinnamon and nutmeg every morning.

He can recite pages of scripture and poetry, can tell you the name of the ship that brought him to Ellis Island, the street where he got his first job as a garment worker and a cafeteria where he ate 70 years ago.

A month before he turns 100, his family has taken Jordan to a studio to record everything he has to say on a spoken-word CD. His eight children, 23 grandchildren, 33 great-grandchildren and three great-great-children are all getting copies.

Jordan, his horn-rimmed glasses perched on a nearly unlined face, speaks in short, simple sentences. His recipes for life and longevity are uncomplicated.

"I eat well. I sleep well. I walk quite a bit," he says. And every week there's church, where "I praise my God."

Jordan was 21 when he came to New York on the Vauban, a ship that left Bridgeton, Saint Michael, Barbados on March 7, 1924, and arrived at Ellis Island seven days later. [...]

He married and had eight children. He has outlived his second wife and lives with one of his daughters in Brooklyn. His children range in age from 56 to 76.

Ishbel Charles, 70, said her father eats Cream of Wheat with cinnamon, nutmeg and raisins, orange juice and "coffee light" every morning. He eats his vegetables, doesn't smoke, doesn't drink. Never broke a bone and went to the hospital once, years ago, with a urinary infection, she said. He takes a little cod liver oil and a daily vitamin.

He reads the newspaper every day, does the crossword puzzle and voted in the last election. He doesn't go to many movies, but watches a little TV, especially Dr. Phil. ("He makes a lot of sense," Jordan has said.)

But his only remarks about current events, including the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack, is to repeat what he's read in church.

"The scripture said in the last days, men will be wiser in wickedness," he said. He looks with puzzlement at a rap video on television, in the studio where he is recording his recitations of religious poetry, and said young people need to learn to praise God. "The whole world seems to be troubled," he says.

But he has survived by keeping things simple and light. When asked what events in the world were most memorable to him, he didn't bring up World War II or the Kennedy assassination.

The CD will be ready for his birthday party. Jordan may recite from his favorite poems, including "St. Peter's at the Gate." He will repeat what he says is most important.

"Give God praise every day," he says. "That's all. That's my life."

[see #22745 for a condensed version]

What age will you live to be?

What was the first number that came to mind? Why? Now that we’ve got you thinking I’d like to tell you a story.

This past weekend I saw something very interesting… something that flies in the face of typical thinking and says, “Na, na, na, na, na, na, you can’t catch me,” and then proceeds to stick out a tongue for good measure.

Kalamazoo, Michigan had their annual “Do-dah” parade which is basically a free-for-all parade anyone can participate in. It’s not held for any particular reason except to have fun… which is reason enough in my book.

First came the standard banner carriers which announced the beginning of the parade, and behind them Lester Weis, the Grand Marshall. The big deal is, Lester is 100 years young (he looks more like a healthy 75) and he’s not sitting on top of a float but riding a competition bicycle. He’s wearing shorts and his legs are in better shape than most 25-year-olds. Even more amazing is Lester’s sense of balance, as he’s crawling along at snail-like parade speeds which would cause more than a few people to fall over.

So how could a 100 year old man do this? The answer is right in front of us. He does it, and he does it often. At least from appearances it’s obvious Lester takes his health seriously.

The first clue are his legs. No one, especially a 100-year-“old” man has strong legs like he does unless they’re using them … a lot (my legs didn’t even look that muscular when I was riding 70-100 miles per week with 5% body fat!).

The second clue is his balance. Riding a bicycle is a serious test of one’s balance. After working with and observing hundreds and possibly thousands of elderly people, one of the things you notice is that balance and especially falling can be a big concern. Even young people in their 70’s (after working with the elderly for 12 years, my idea of “old” has changed ;o) ) can have difficulty with their balance.

The third clue Lester takes his health seriously is the quality of his equipment. Most people who aren’t serious don’t invest in the quality of bike he had.

What can we learn from this? Living to 100 isn’t a fluke, we all make choices every day that determine our quality of life and how long our life will be. Sure there are things like genetics and our environment that come into play, but we have far more control than most people would like to believe.

If we think others are “lucky” we’re giving up the control we have in our lives to do something about our health and happiness. Each of us make our own “luck” as we go, there’s no doubt about it. The more we do something in-line with our goals of being healthy, the “luckier” we’ll get.

99% of people do what they want, not what they need to do. People eat processed food because it’s quick and easy. They avoid exercise because “it’s too much work” or because they don’t like to sweat. They eat junk food that’s high in calories but has little if any nutritional value.

Nobody’s perfect, me included, I usually try to eat healthy but once in a while I’ve got to have some chocolate or some ice cream. The funny thing is I can tell right away when I’ve had it, because I feel like I get tired more easily.

The total opposite happens when I eat plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables, healthy food, and take *quality* supplements. When I eat healthy like this I don’t want junk food at all. It doesn’t even sound good.

We all have our weak moments now and then. The key is to make sure those weak moments don’t become life-long habits. After all I’d like to see you riding your bike in a parade when you’re 100 too.

~~~~~~~~~~

• Don’t let anyone tell you you’re getting old. Squash their toes with your rocker.

• The older we get, the fewer things seem worth waiting in line for.

• Some people try to turn back their odometers . . . not me . . . I want people to know why I look like this. I’ve traveled a long way and some of the roads were not paved.

• You know you’re getting old when everything either dries up or starts to leak.

• Life would be infinitely happier if we could only be born at the age of 80 and gradually approach 18.

• Within I do not find wrinkles and used heart, but unspent youth.

• One of the many things no one tells you about aging is that it’s such a nice change from being young.

• One must wait until evening to see how splendid the day has been.

• Age seldom arrives smoothly or quickly. It’s more often a succession of jerks.

• Being young is beautiful, but being old is comfortable.

• Growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional!

• I finally got my head together, and my body fell apart.

• Old age is always fifteen years older than I am.

• Men are like wine — some turn to vinegar, but the best improve with age.— Pope John XXIII

• Age is a question of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter. — Satchel Paige

~~~~~~~~~~

Some ways of thinking young:

• Give yourself a gold star for everything you do today.

• Dot all your i’s with smiley faces.

• Sing into your hairbrush.

• Grow a milk mustache.

• Smile back at the man in the moon.

• Read the funnies — throw the rest of the paper away.

• Dunk your cookies.

• Step carefully over sidewalk cracks.

• Change into some play clothes.

• Try to get someone to trade you a better sandwich.

• Eat ice cream for breakfast.

• Blow the wrapper off a straw.

• Refuse to eat crusts.

• Watch TV in your pajamas.

• Eat dessert first.

• Wear your favorite shirt with your favorite pants even if they don’t match.

• Sneak some frosting off a cake.

• Hide your vegetables under your napkin.

• Stay up past your bedtime.

• Whatever you’re doing, stop once in a while for recess.

• Make a “slurpy” sound with your straw when you get to the bottom of a milkshake.

• Put way too much sugar on your cereal.

• Play a song you like really loud, over and over.

• Find some pretty stones and save them.

• Walk barefoot in wet grass.

• Count the colors in a rainbow.

• Fuss a little, then take a nap.

• Take a running jump over a big puddle.

• Eat dinner at the coffee table.

• Giggle for no real reason.

~~~~~~~~~~

You’re a grandparent!!!

Having so many grandchildren means the same as having many children — only now you’ve learned from your mistakes and can enjoy the little ones freely because you know you did the best you could with your children when they were small.

So enjoy the numbers of your family — whether they be small or great. Unless the Lord builds the house, you labor in vain to maintain.

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If you can relate to this, you may be getting old — I believe in the hereafter. Every time I walk into a room, I say, “What did I come in here after!”

Oliver looked forward to retiring in three years. As an adult Sunday school teacher in his church, he had served God faithfully for many years.

One Sunday morning, the church boys club leader asked to him teach fourth grade boys on Wednesday nights. At first, he wanted to say no, since he had never taught children before. But after praying about the opportunity for a couple of days, he decided to work with the boys.

In the beginning, Oliver found it difficult to relate to them. Then he began to understand how much they wanted him to be their spiritual model. As he taught them week after week, he saw them respond and grow, and his love for them grew deeply.

After Oliver retired at 65, he continued working with the boys. Then several years later, as he was approaching 70, he and his wife were asked to teach for a week at a children's Bible camp. Again he felt God was leading him into a new area of ministry. After teaching at camp, he could not decide whether he or the children had been more blessed.

Perhaps you are about to retire, or have been retired for some time. Let me ask you: Are you active in the work of our Lord and a fruitful disciple?

I cannot find anything in the Bible about retiring from God's work. One never retires from being a servant of the great King, nor gets too old.

Whether or not you have 20 years left, ten years, one year, one month, one day, or just one hour, there is something very important God wants you to do that can add to His kingdom and to your blessing.

If you are still mobile and active, there are innumerable things you can do. If you are mobile or not mobile, you can have the most important job of all: You can be a prayer intercessor, even while confined to a bed or a wheelchair. You can do it literally anywhere. If you do not have the strength to pray out loud, you can whisper it. If you cannot whisper, you can move your lips. If you cannot move your lips, then pray silently, in your mind. God knows and reads your heart.

Whether we are young or old, as long as we have breath, let us be about “making the most of your time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:16, NASB).

With the psalmist, we should praise the Lord as long as we have breath (Psalm 150:6).

*

[Original illustration here was a duplicate in HolwickID 25837-26027]

Case Western Reserve University researchers revealed in a December 2003 journal article that cockroaches do not age gracefully, that after about 60 weeks of adulthood, they get stiff joints (which inhibits climbing) and hardened foot pads (which prevents sticking to vertical surfaces). One of the researchers, noticing that aged roaches seem to have lost their ability to escape from predators, hypothesized that the loss was brain-based; he tested the hypothesis by removing the roach's head (and, thus, brain), and sure enough, the roach once again was able to flee like a youngster.

Is aging "all in your head" for humans, too?

I've watched three kids run on this track called high school senior. Oh, and we know about the disease. It's a creepy disease called “Senioritis.” I've seen it for years in other teenagers and then finally, we watched it in our own home. It begins with the sense of “Okay, I'm a Senior now, high school is my past. I do not care about high school anymore, even though I have another year.” At best, a senior just slacks off until graduation, or at worst, he or she becomes irresponsible and maybe even destructive. Senioritis does not bring out the best in anybody, at any age.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “The Senioritis Vaccine.”

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Jeremiah chapter 29. The Jews are no longer in their homeland of Judah. They've been carried away into captivity. They're in Babylon. Here's a situation where it would be very easy for them to have spiritual “Senioritis.” They know they are one day return to their native country. They know God has them in Babylon for their disobedience, so they live kind of in between - you know, Babylon here, returning to Israel soon. They could be saying, “Hey, who cares about Babylon. Put it on cruise control. We're not here for long. We're going home in a little while What we do here doesn't matter. Right?”

Here's God's advice for them in Jeremiah 29:5 - probably surprising advice for them. “Build houses, and settle down...” I can hear them going “Here? We're living in between.” He says, “Build houses and settle down, plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters. Find wives for your sons. Give your daughters in marriage so they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you will prosper.” Here's what God is saying. “Make something of this time. Don't have 'senioritis' and act like it doesn't matter.” It's like old Caleb in the Old Testament - 85 years old and not ready to quit. He says, “Lord, give me this mountain to conquer.” There's no “senioritis” there.

Maybe you're at an age, or you're in a situation where you're tempted to put your life sort of on cruise. Maybe you're waiting for the next stage, or you're just waiting for heaven. Don't just sit there and say, “Well, I don't care much about where I am right now.” God is saying, “I want you to care. I want you to bloom where you're planted. I want you to make this count.”

A while back, I met a dear 80-year-old woman, and she said to me, “Ron, I was married to the same man for 60 years, and he took great care of me.” And then she went on to tell me how he had died last year. And she said, “It is so easy for me to be bitter. I could be desperately lonely.” But then she said, “You know, this week as I have listened to you at this conference, I've decided I'm going to reach out on my own. I'm in this condominium filed with lonely people and I'm going to go back there, and I'm going to start writing notes to those people. I'm going to bake for them. I'm going to visit them. I'm going to share God's love with them.” Then she said, “I'm going to start giving my life away.”

And I said, “Well, you know, that's the way the Bible says you'll find your life.” She said, “Well, I figure that my mother died at the age of 88, and I'm 80, so I've got at least eight years to make a difference.” I love that! She's going to find her life by giving it away. That's the vaccine for “senioritis,” for not caring. Get a mission for yourself. Look for some people who need you. That's the best way to find your life. Wherever you are, look for a mission. Don't slow down. Don't hold back. Capture the corner that you're in for Christ. When you're living for Jesus, you can't afford to waste a day.

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Copyright © Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc., PO Box 400, Harrison, AR 72602. Used by permission. Written by Ron Hutchcraft. "Practical Answers to Real Life Issues"