Do the Aging Have a Place? - Part 1

Jim over at Lord, I Believe; Help My Unbelief! has a great post from Saturday that forces us to look at a part of ministry where we often fall short: the elderly.

I may be in the minority, but for me the aging community is very much an awareness in ministry.  I am blessed to have a wife who has opened my eyes to the wonderful ministry that only the elderly can give us, and also to the lack of inclusion and attention in our churches.  Just as I have devoted my life to ministry, and in doing so have entered into this emerging conversation to seek a better way; so also has my wife is giving her life, but she is seeking a better way in aging — so that those who are living out their lives somewhere other than home can feel like they are at home instead of an institution or a hospital.

We are very aware of the lack of attention given to the elderly in the world around us.  Seeking a better way to help older people find a home in our faith communities – where they are still a part of the journey instead of a burden, should be important to us if it isn’t already.

So quickly we forget that the elderly in our communities are those who have gone before us.  When someone is struggling with an idea, a question, or a situation, there is more than likely an elderly person in the community with a wealth of wisdom and discernment if not direct, personal experience that could help someone else through the same struggle.

It is also important to remember that the places they have been are only part of a journey that they are still on.  People assume that the elderly have “got it,” and are just waiting to go; but the fact is that older Christians are struggling with faith questions just as we are.  While we are wrestling with questions about how we are to live, and what God wants us to be doing as part of His work, older believers are asking their own questions.

“Have I accomplished enough in my life?”

“Have I lived a life that is pleasing to God?” 

“Do I still have anything left?  Does God still want to use me?  Can God still use me?”

These questions are just as important to the community as anyone else’s; and we would greatly benefit from remembering that the elderly living their faith alongside us not only have questions of their own, but also have a great deal to offer us as we struggle at certain points along the path that they have already traveled.