Every stage of life has its own fears. Children might fear the bogeyman under the bed, school-aged children and teenagers often fear not being accepted, young adults might fear not finding a person that will marry them, middle-aged people often fear not being successful. We seniors also have our fears—a significant number relating to the aging process—loss of freedom, significance, and health, just to name three.
In my years of ministering to the elderly, I’ve observed they often seemed more fearful than those who are younger, more fearful than when they themselves were younger. Perhaps some increased fearfulness results from physiological changes in the brain over which we have no control. However, many fears that come with aging can be faced with the conviction we can gain some control over them. We’ll deal with specific fears we’re likely to face in the later years of life in future daily reflections during this thirty-one-day journey. For now, let’s reflect on the general state of being fearful in our senior years. Growing older gracefully means facing those fears and doing something about them.
The good news is, as older human beings, we have accumulated many past experiences from which we can draw in our later years. After all, we’ve survived everything thus far, right? There were difficult times, even terrible times, and tragedies, but somehow here we are—survivors. God has been with us in the past, which can give us the confidence he will be with us now and on into our future. We can face our fears related to the aging process with our faith in God.
This faith we have in God differs for each person. For some of us, we’ve followed the Lord during a significant portion of our life. He’s seen us through a lot. We can decide to believe he will see us through until the end. We have the history—the history of our faith in God—that can create and sustain the momentum which pushes us forward.
However, some people reading this might feel they haven’t focused on God much at all in the years leading to the present. If this describes you, let me reassure you that, even though you might not have actively sought out God, determining to follow him and his will, he has been shadowing you all along, a silent, unseen, ever-present help. Today is not too late to give him credit for how he’s been there for you in the past. He’s a gracious, forgiving God. You don’t need to have racked up a bunch of points to get his help now. Acknowledging in the present his unacknowledged presence and help in the past can put you on firm footing for facing the future without fear.
We can take a couple of simple steps, making certain we’re right with the Lord—that we’re in the right relationship with him. First, we must acknowledge our need for his forgiveness of our sins. He offers us this forgiveness. We only need to ask. He’s already provided the way of forgiveness for us when he sent his son Jesus to earth, having him go to the cross and die for our sins. He did that for us. We need only to receive his gift of forgiveness, accepting him as our Savior.
Then, second, we commit to living the rest of our lives for him, with deep gratitude for his forgiveness and with great joy for now being in a relationship with him. This means letting him be Lord of our lives. Having him as Savior and Lord is what makes us right with God. Having this true faith in the Lord is what can help us deal with our fears.
I find great comfort and a good antidote to fear in the words the old psalmist penned. “I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread” (Psalm 37:25). Considering how God has worked in our lives in the past can build our confidence that he will work with us concerning our present and future issues of aging.
We can draw upon both the bad and the good that has happened to us in the past while facing our present and our future. Past calamities or successes can both be foundation stones upon which we can build a strong faith for today and tomorrow.
Of all people, we who have more years behind us should have confidence that the Lord still goes before us. God says, “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).
We who are older often have more free time, which we can use for deepening our relationship with God. If reading the Bible regularly has been a habit in the past, we should keep practicing the habit. If reading what God says in the Bible has not been a regular habit in the past, we can use some of the extra time in our retirement years delving into His Word, establishing a new habit, a holy habit. Reading God’s Word strengthens our faith in him. When our faith is strengthened our fears decrease. An old Irish proverb says, “Fear knocked at the door, faith answered, no one was there” (Origin unknown).
Talking with God about our fears helps—even about our inability to trust him as we know we should. Again, if we’ve always had the daily habit of talking with God in what we call prayer, then we should keep the communication going. Now is a good time to start, if praying has not been our regular habit.
The apostle Paul wrote, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6–7).
We face unique fears as we grow older. More than ever, we should remember that fears flee in the face of faith.
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