Pastor's Corner: Age old advice
The month of September is my birthday month. So my thoughts naturally turn to age … getting old. At 79 some people consider me old already. My fantasy is that I don’t think that I act or look that old ... but that may just be my self-serving illusion. Regardless I am old enough to have a philosophy on aging. Here it is:
1. It is important to stay busy in retirement. My wife and I simply continued our 38 years of ministry in The Salvation Army as we moved into retirement. It is at a slower pace, but as a pastor you never want to fully retire from the work God called you to when you were younger. Stay busy doing “stuff” you enjoy.
2. It is important to take care of your health. You have heard the old saying: “if I thought I was going to live this long I would have taken care of myself.” Whatever your age, start now. I continue to run; my wife works out at a health club 3-4 times a week for an hour or so.
3. It is important to keep your mind active. I watch the news on TV. I frequently engage in discussions with my adult grandchildren who are mostly about 40 years younger and do not share many of my views on life and politics. It keeps me sharp, and I would like to think keeps them on their intellectual toes. The Bible notes in Proverbs says that “iron sharpens iron” ... we stay sharp by engaging our minds.
4. It is important to simplify life and stuff. As we age our memory can be challenged. My wife and I are both “list makers” because lists take tasks we think is important to remember off our mind and on a list where it can be attended to as needed. As we age we need to get rid of “stuff.” We like to go to garage sales. We see some labeled “Estate Sale.” I now call them “Dead People’s Sales.” It will be your adult kids selling all your “precious” possessions at giveaway prices and giving the leftovers of the sale to The Salvation Army. So get rid of it ahead of time.
5. It is important to be at peace with the important people in your life. As a retired officer and pastor of The Salvation Army I cannot even remember how many times people have left funerals with deep long-lasting regrets of “unmended fences.” Do it now.
6. It is important that you make solid plans for your demise (death … but many are not comfortable with that word). You may try to deny death, you may fear death but neither of these approaches work. My wife and I use humor to approach our impending departure from this world to heaven. We have had spirited discussions (arguments) on who should die first. She says that she should die first because she doesn’t know how to handle all the finances. I say I should die first because I can’t bear to live alone. We have a will and a revokable trust.
7. It is important to be at peace with God. Have you asked for forgiveness for all your sin and placed your life in His hands? Have you sought to live your life from that point on within His will for you as a Christian? We will never be perfect. Fortunately God doesn’t demand perfection, He only demands right direction.
We never know for sure how long we will live but as a general rule, most of us will live into old age so make sure you prepare for it and age well.
This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: Pastor's Corner: Age old advice
