LITMIR.BIZ

      CONTENTS

      Introduction

      How to Use This Book

      WEEK 1: ACCEPTING THE CHALLENGES OF AGING

      Out of step

      Losing interest in life

Same inside

Weary arms

       Loss

       Invisible

       Sunday: Celebrate an acceptance of aging

       WEEK 2: FINDING GOD’S PURPOSE IN AGING

       Never too old

       Spiritually wise

       Servant’s heart

       Belonging to community

       Embracing deep thoughts

       Worship and praise

       Sunday: Celebrate God’s purpose in aging

       WEEK 3: OVERCOMING THE TEMPTATIONS OF AGING

       Grumbling

       Clinging to your baggage

       Night worries

       Giving up on life

       Getting lost in the messiness

       Tainted with bitterness

       Sunday: Celebrate victory over temptations

       WEEK 4: DISCOVERING THE JOYS OF AGING

       Preaching your own eulogy

       Answered prayer

       Something to laugh about

       Right on time

       Saving the best for last

       Leaving a legacy

       Sunday: Celebrate the blessings

       Reflection Questions

       Dedication

       Acknowledgments

       About the Author

       INTRODUCTION

      You have heard it said that the only time people get excited about being old is when they are young. There is some truth to that. Many people refuse to talk about aging as if they can somehow prevent it from happening. They want to believe that they will never have to face the harsh realities that sometimes accompany a long life.

      How easily we forget that God designed aging! Think about it. God is God. God could have created bodies that never changed beyond young adulthood while we continued to age in years. But that is not God’s way. Once you truly acknowledge that aging is part of God’s plan, you can begin to embrace it as a divine gift.

      Each stage of aging offers rich treasures if you choose to mine them. The eyes make all the difference. If your eyes are fixed on the negative images of growing old, you will likely miss the precious nuggets right before you. Fix your eyes on God and you will discover an abiding joy that only comes with a long life.

       HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

      This book is divided into four weeks, each with a particular theme about aging. Each day’s reading supports the week’s focus with a scripture, a meditation, and a prayer. It concludes with a suggestion for deeper thought or practical application.

      Sunday is the time to gratefully celebrate the culmination of the week’s readings. The questions at the end of the book are intended for small-group discussion or as another opportunity for individuals to explore the topics more fully.

      Take your time in reading and responding. Let each day’s readings wash over you. Prepare your heart to discover what it is to age joyfully.

       MONDAY Out of step

      Read Psalm 56:3-4.

      A woman pulls her chair up close to a computer and peers into the screen. She sees the image of her grandson, an officer in the military, talking to her as though he is sitting across her dining room table instead of in a war zone halfway around the world. Tears suddenly well up.

      In another city a grandfather watches restless grandchildren push buttons on their slim, palm-sized electronic gadgets. One child listens to music on a tiny device with thousands of songs at his fingertips. Two send silent messages to friends in other towns, while the youngest searches a handheld apparatus for show times at a movie theater. The older man shrugs his shoulders in bewilderment.

      It is not surprising that both these grandparents feel sharp pangs of insecurity. They used to feel smart and savvy. Not anymore. Not with all this fast-changing technology. As much as they marvel at the wonder of it all, they fear becoming hopelessly out of step with the rest of the world.

      You may feel the same. No one likes feeling incompetent—not Moses with his speech impediment, not Abraham who thought he was too old to carry out God’s purpose. God chose these men anyway and equipped them for tasks they felt they could not do.

      Don’t

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