The Elderly

I love elderly people - deeply.  Perhaps it is because I was blessed to be the granddaughter of the best elderly people in the world.  My grandparents were some of the brightest reflections of Christ in my life.  Now that they are gone, I still have fond memories of talking to them late at night, listening to their words of wisdom, and gaining insight from the long lives they lived.  Older people are easy for me to love.

But as I look around our community and beyond, I am saddened by the way many of the elderly are treated.  Instead of considering it a privilege to sit and learn from generations gone before, their company is frequently viewed as a burden and something to be avoided.  Who has time for Grandma anymore?  Grandpa can't relate to the way the world is today!  Why would we waste our time to listen to the same story told over and over again?  Maybe their mental capacity is so diminished that their value to other people is viewed as minimal.

Some older people are lovely and mentally fit, others are cranky and suffering.  It is true that older people have often made the beds they lie in today.  Horrible parents breed self centered adults who ultimately only care about their own desires and neglect their aging parents.  But that isn't always the case.  As I think about our aging family members and neighbors, I can't help but think about how much they need love.  Just as a young child desires security, love, physical touch, and company, so do those who are nearing the end or their lives.

There is something unique about long lives lived here on earth.  Genesis 3:19 (Jewish Bible) reads, "You will eat bread by the sweat of your forehead till you return to the ground — for you were taken out of it: you are dust, and you will return to dust."  As people age, we visually see their bodies decay.  We are reminded that our bodies are mortal - from dust they came, and to dust they will return.  But the spirit - that is something completely different!  It will live on for eternity.  Caring for the elderly is more than taking care of their physical needs, it is caring form them emotionally and spiritually as well.  Just because their bodies are breaking down, doesn't mean their souls are any less valuable.  As Christians, we must care for them, body, mind, and spirit.  From the moment of conception to their very last breath, God loves that person, no matter their age.  We should too.  Love is more than words and feelings.  It is sacrificial in nature and unconditional.  Caring for the elderly isn't an option, it is a necessity, and we should strive to care for them in a way that brings honor to God.

James 1:27 (Jewish Bible) The religious observance that God the Father considers pure and faultless is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being contaminated by the world.