Dr. Harold J. Sala

Provided by CN Building Adult Ministries Resource Center

Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you. Isaiah 46:4

In the home of Vernon Grounds, now in his 10th decade of a robust life, hangs a plaque with the words of Robert Browning: “Grow old along with me, / The best is yet to come.” The plaque shows a white-haired husband and wife sitting contentedly side-by-side on a Victorian swing—the picture of peace and contentment. “But it is not quite that way,” Dr. Grounds would tell you.

This former seminary president and warm-hearted counselor says, “Browning was overly optimistic. The sunset of life, sometimes long and lingering, may be a time of health and happiness. It may, however, be the opposite—a time of debility, loneliness, and despondency. In either case,” he says, “it is a constrictive process.”

One of Dr. Grounds’ contemporaries, a scholar with a keen wit, Wilbur Smith, once said, “It’s no sin to grow old, but it’s mighty inconvenient.” He was right. And the fact is that more and more of us are living longer and longer.

At the beginning of the 20th century, a mere 4% of the population lived beyond age 65. By the end of World War 2, that figure had doubled. Today, three times as many people are living beyond age 65 as did in 1900. A government agency says that the fastest growing segment of our population is the over 65 bracket. The number of seniors over age 65 will grow 76% in the next 30 years while the general population under age 65 is expected to grow a mere 6.5%.

One big difference between the 18- and 35-year-olds and the 65-and-up crowd is that the seniors vote, and that reality isn’t lost on elected officials. Politicians, health care providers, and insurance underwriters are very aware of what’s happening. They cater to the crowd of people with graying hair—“silver power” they call it.

But everyone isn’t pleased with the reality that people are living longer and longer. A generation of men and women in their 50s and 60s have cleaned out the attic and emptied the basement as their own children are now adults and have finally moved out. Thinking that at last they have time to travel and enjoy their freedom without the responsibilities of children or teenagers, all of a sudden face the reality that their future is in eclipse because Mother or Dad is no longer able to take care of herself or himself. By default they have become the major caregiver. Nobody ever told them about that, nor did they ever think much that it could happen. But it does, as older people become more feeble and unable to care for themselves.

Some handle it with grace, and others become bitter and resentful that the trip to Europe has to be cancelled or that Mother calls in the middle of the night, not knowing that it’s 3 AM because she slept all afternoon.

I’ve observed something else in society today—a generation ago elderly people were treated with respect. Younger people stood in the presence of their elders as Moses instructed in Leviticus 19. On a bus or public transportation, younger people gave seats to older individuals. If an elderly woman was struggling to carry a package, someone volunteered to assist her. But as society has moved further and further from its biblical roots, the elderly are treated with more disdain and disrespect, often becoming targets for scams, violence, and disregard.

The elderly among us are among our most important treasures—repositories of wisdom, knowledge, and experience, which we lack. When a member of the Boston Symphony commented that the conductor, a gifted, brilliant fellow, was “so young” (using her term) I had to rebut: “Don’t worry; time will take care of that. It did for me.” So is it for us all. It’s still true: Old so soon; smart so late.

Resource reading: Deuteronomy 34

Disclaimer: The preceding material was written by Dr. Harold J. Sala, and is copyrighted. You are authorized to download this selection and use it for your own personal use. Reproduction for sale or financial profit is prohibited. Permission to reprint it should be obtained by contacting Guidelines at email guidelines@guidelines.org or mail to Box G, Laguna Hills, CA 92654.