“Remember the days of old; consider the generations long past. Ask your father and he will tell you, your elders, and they will explain it to you.”
-Deuteronomy 32:7
This month our Revelation Wellness® is honoring COMMUNITY. We are highlighting the beauty of what it means to do life with one another, believing that life truly is BETTER TOGETHER. Today we would like to honor the part of our community around us that is aging, and explore how we might be better able to do life together with them particularly.
Had you told me as a young adult that my greatest passion would lay within the older adult community, I would have run quickly in the other direction.
My mom was a hospice health aide and also cared for several of her aging family members, often taking us with her to visit her patients. I enjoyed seeing her patients, but over time, the death and sickness I encountered began to create a fear in me that made me not want to be around them. My mom had to explain to me that these were someone’s parents and grandparents. These people were someone’s sister, brother, mother and father. She explained that one day she might need the help that she was giving them, and reminded me that one day I also would be “older.”
Many seniors are empty nesters, widowed, displaced or potentially disconnected with little to no family interaction in their daily activities. As ambassadors of the love of Christ we have a beautiful opportunity to become surrogate families for them.
Did you know that May is Older Americans Month? The declared theme this year for Older American’s Month is “Age Out Loud,” designed to give the aging a new voice—one that reflects what today’s older adults have to say. Seniors are being asked to share on social media, take selfies, and use their voice on senior center bulletin boards by declaring, “I age out loud by…” “I age out loud because…” and more.
In the book The Way of The Dragon or The Way of The Lamb: Searching for Jesus’ Path of Power in a Church That Has Abandoned it, authors Jamin Goggin and Kyle Strobel challenge us to take an introspective look at our communities and ask ourselves, what are we truly cultivating?
“When a culture has come to define itself by what you can achieve and what you do for a living…the retired person ceases to be a real person. When a meaningful, powerful, and flourishing life is built on one’s physical and mental capacities, what does that mean for the value of the identity of those whose capacities are failing or nonexistent? … When flourishing is seen as ‘getting things done’ or ‘achieving,’ we tend to reject the people Jesus sought out – the outcasts, those with disabilities, and the weak. When our goals become secularized, we turn to the young and exciting and we lose the wisdom and discernment that come only through age and faithfulness.”
As I write even now, it is obvious that I am reaping healing. God knew I needed my community of seniors. He knew I needed to document His promises (Heb.10:22-23). He knew I needed to write down all He would restore, how He redeems and surrounds us with the communities we need.
Friends, I have lost both of my parents, but now have more moms and dads than I can count. God knew that through their love, I would see even more clearly how much He loves us. Not only do I get a chance to serve and love this aging community, they get the opportunity to be loved and give love.
Do you know the stories of the aging communities in your church, in your family, in your neighborhood, or in yourself? Not all stories are happy and easy to hear, but when told they can encourage and challenge others in their faith. If we don’t share those stories, and if we don’t give people the opportunity to tell those stories, something tremendously valuable is lost.
What do you do to cultivate a community that fosters flourishing lives for our aging adults?
Keep Movin’,
Amia Freeman, Revelation Wellness® Instructor
Here is a FREE WORKOUT to move your body AND heart from RevWell TV® titled: “HIS MASTERPIECE”. Trisha’s full-length choreography strength mash-up workout will flip-flop you back and forth between cardio and resistance training using a balloon for FUN! It will certainly keep your body guessing. Muscle confusion? No big deal. God is never confused about us. Get comfortable being uncomfortable in this workout. We are #bettertogether!
3 Responses
Amia, thank you for sharing what God has done in your life and for honoring our elders in such a beautiful way. They have such value and wisdom to share, and it would be a tragedy for us to overlook their stories (God’s stories). Age out loud! 😀
In the last 5 years, I have joined the ranks of seniors. What I did not expect was to feel so invisible, to be overlooked while those around me who were younger moved ahead. It’s perplexing at this time of life because you have the drive and desire to continue to contribute, but at the same time, so aware of the physical limitations that weren’t there before. For sustained joy, contentment and survival, every senior (myself included) must take on the discipline to stay healthy and strong in every aspect of life: spiritual, mental, physical, lifestyle practices, nutritional needs, stress reduction, sleep, forgiveness, etc. All ages, both male and female, need all these things to have a healthy balance. Meanwhile, I’m looking for my place in the community, how I can contribute and serve. It’s a new challenge for this season of my life. With God’s guidance and strength, I will succeed and help others too!
Thank you for sharing, Patricia! The younger generations need wise, faithful women like you in their lives. Praying for you as you seek God’s leading in your life in this season!