My teenage son and I enjoy the “oldies” radio station together. Recently, we surfed YouTube for videos of 60’s music and Smothers Brothers clips. For some reason, a 17-year-old loves 50-year-old music. It is a very enjoyable thing to take a “Magic Carpet Ride” with him and sing in the car to Three Dog Night, The Beach Boys and others. He knows the songs, but not the groups as much.
To me, it doesn’t seem like those songs are 40 or 50 years old. On January 8, Elvis turned 80! How can that be? I remember Elvis. I lived the Apollo moon landings and Skylab. I drank Tang. How can time go by that fast? I was in High School when Elvis died. Now I am 10 years older than Elvis when he died.
I was fortunate to recently be able to move out of one career and into another. I feel so blessed and humbled in my present work. I am the Assistant Senior Adult Pastor at my church. Talk about not feeling worthy! It is very rewarding and humbling to serve Older Adults.
Maybe it is like when you get a new car. All of a sudden you notice almost everyone has the same kind of car. I have noticed something. Throughout the Bible, God most often uses older adults in the way He works. Grandparents are very influential on their grandchildren. Methuselah was the grandfather of Noah, and Noah was the only righteous dude on the planet.
Moses was 80 before he was needed to go back to Egypt. Wow! 80 years old to begin his work is a huge message to our seniors today. There’s not enough space in this blog to note all the seniors God used in the Bible, from the widow and her mite to an old Apostle exiled on an island to receive a special Revelation. God uses Seniors! Occasionally there is a boy with fishes and loaves, or a young shepherd slays a giant, or a beautiful young woman becomes a queen, but more often than not…. God uses Seniors!
If you are a Senior Adult, you need to know, God has a plan for your life today and there are many things He needs you to do. “How do you know this?” you ask. Because you’re still here! You have friends and neighbors and grandchildren or their friends who need to be prayed for, loved on and witnessed to. There is still much work to do. In the God’s Word, the book of Hebrews talks about needing endurance because life is such a long run.
Hebrews 12:1 -3(NASB)
Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Hebrews 12:12-13 (NASB) Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed.
Our hands may be feeble and our knees may be weak – either from fear or age, but…..You are still in the race, you still have influence, you may need to talk about Christ to your grandkids or their friends. We need to finish strong and run with good form – because we have such a great cloud of witnesses.
Anyone can be an “Oldie”, but it requires effort to be a “Goodie”.