GUIDELINES FOR LIVING.
April 15th, 2026
How to Live with Grace at Any Age.
Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone. Psalm 71:9
“Gray hair is a crown of splendor,” so says the writer of Proverbs. But most of us would just as soon avoid what it represents—growing older. So, we do everything in our power to camouflage the symptoms; but the reality is as the years go by, we do gradually grow older, thereby proving the observation of my son who says there are three periods of life: youth, middle age, and “My, you’re looking well today.”
You know you’re not as young as you once were when you say you don’t need glasses, but the truth is you really need your glasses to find your glasses. You know you’re getting there when your knees buckle but your belt won’t, when you’re sitting in a rocking chair and you just can’t kickstart it to get it going, when you tend to tell the same stories over and over and people are too kind to interrupt and say, “Hey, you’ve told us the same story five times.”
Interested in knowing how to age gracefully? You can, and doing an acrostic on the word grace, here are five guidelines guaranteed to work.
The “G” in grace means get rid of the garbage. Give up your grudges and resentments about how life hasn’t treated you well. Bring closure to the negative things; decide the future will not be blighted by unpleasant memories of the past. Sure, you can’t go back and climb Mt. Everest, or have another shot at running your company, or raising your children differently, but you can determine that tomorrow will not be blighted by yesterday’s mistakes.
The “R” in the word grace prompts us to realize that your value does not diminish in God’s sight with aging. Some things, I am told, like art, precious stones, and even fine wine, only increase in value with age. You are included. There is good news, friend: While the world values the new and exciting, and discards the old, thank God our Heavenly Father doesn’t do that. Those who age are important to Him. In Isaiah 46:4, God made a great promise. He said, “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.”
The “A” in grace encourages you to appreciate and value your past life experiences. Sometimes I learn that someone has had an unusual life—like, he fought in the Battle of Leyte, liberating the Philippines, or was part of a medical team that invented a life-saving medicine, and I ask, “Do your grandchildren know this?” Tell them, write it, do your memoirs while your mind is sharp.
The “C” is grace shouts quite loudly. It says, “Continue to serve!” To me, one of the greatest tragedies of our generation is that we have an army of men and women with experience, expertise, and wisdom who by and large have sat down in the rocking chair awaiting the grim reaper. Get off your back side, volunteer, do something you’ve always thought about doing, but never took the time to do.
The “E” in grace is a final reminder: “You can expect God to walk with you through the valley and up the other side.” The Psalmist cried out (and I like this), “Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone” (Psalm 71:9). And you can be sure that the shepherd of your soul will never leave you behind. He abandons neither the tender lamb, or the old tough mutton whose feet are feeble and whose eyes are dim.
You can grow old gracefully. It is the only way to go. And when you do that, those senior years will prove to be some of the most productive and wonderful in all your life.
Resource reading: Psalm 71:1-24
GUIDELINES FOR LIVING.
April 15th, 2026
How to Live with Grace at Any Age.
Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone. Psalm 71:9
“Gray hair is a crown of splendor,” so says the writer of Proverbs. But most of us would just as soon avoid what it represents—growing older. So, we do everything in our power to camouflage the symptoms; but the reality is as the years go by, we do gradually grow older, thereby proving the observation of my son who says there are three periods of life: youth, middle age, and “My, you’re looking well today.”
You know you’re not as young as you once were when you say you don’t need glasses, but the truth is you really need your glasses to find your glasses. You know you’re getting there when your knees buckle but your belt won’t, when you’re sitting in a rocking chair and you just can’t kickstart it to get it going, when you tend to tell the same stories over and over and people are too kind to interrupt and say, “Hey, you’ve told us the same story five times.”
Interested in knowing how to age gracefully? You can, and doing an acrostic on the word grace, here are five guidelines guaranteed to work.
The “G” in grace means get rid of the garbage. Give up your grudges and resentments about how life hasn’t treated you well. Bring closure to the negative things; decide the future will not be blighted by unpleasant memories of the past. Sure, you can’t go back and climb Mt. Everest, or have another shot at running your company, or raising your children differently, but you can determine that tomorrow will not be blighted by yesterday’s mistakes.
The “R” in the word grace prompts us to realize that your value does not diminish in God’s sight with aging. Some things, I am told, like art, precious stones, and even fine wine, only increase in value with age. You are included. There is good news, friend: While the world values the new and exciting, and discards the old, thank God our Heavenly Father doesn’t do that. Those who age are important to Him. In Isaiah 46:4, God made a great promise. He said, “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.”
The “A” in grace encourages you to appreciate and value your past life experiences. Sometimes I learn that someone has had an unusual life—like, he fought in the Battle of Leyte, liberating the Philippines, or was part of a medical team that invented a life-saving medicine, and I ask, “Do your grandchildren know this?” Tell them, write it, do your memoirs while your mind is sharp.
The “C” is grace shouts quite loudly. It says, “Continue to serve!” To me, one of the greatest tragedies of our generation is that we have an army of men and women with experience, expertise, and wisdom who by and large have sat down in the rocking chair awaiting the grim reaper. Get off your back side, volunteer, do something you’ve always thought about doing, but never took the time to do.
The “E” in grace is a final reminder: “You can expect God to walk with you through the valley and up the other side.” The Psalmist cried out (and I like this), “Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone” (Psalm 71:9). And you can be sure that the shepherd of your soul will never leave you behind. He abandons neither the tender lamb, or the old tough mutton whose feet are feeble and whose eyes are dim.
You can grow old gracefully. It is the only way to go. And when you do that, those senior years will prove to be some of the most productive and wonderful in all your life.
Resource reading: Psalm 71:1-24
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