Dear senior citizen II

In my first epistle to you, dear senior citizen, I established that contrary to the dread some seniors have for growing old, being a senior citizen is not frightful but rather a privilege that the good Lord has bestowed on us.

Hopefully, you have carefully digested the content of my first letter and are looking forward to further contemplation on the subject.

Regret

Let us resume our discourse on a trend that is rampant among seniors, namely, regret.

This regret is not about feeling repentant over wrongdoing or feeling guilty for a sin, but rather the situation where we bemoan unaccomplished goals; feeling disappointed and unhappy, to the extent that we lament.

Regret is the last thing you want to entertain in your life as a senior citizen.

Life is full of what worked for us and what didn’t.

Rather than regretting what didn’t work, it is more rewarding to remember what worked and give thanks to God for them.

Crying over spilt milk is an aspect of regret. Like constantly relishing in past glories, feeling regretful for a past failure or unaccomplished dreams and goals serves no purpose. 

Emotional attitudes

Emotional attitudes and habits a senior citizen should avoid include arguments, bitterness, anger, worry, unforgiveness, and too much talking.

These stress-related emotions should not have a foothold in our lives.

A cursory observation of those words tells you why a senior citizen should try to avoid them.

Already, a senior citizen’s emotions are weak because of many years of deploying them on different occasions.

When we were young, we easily got upset over many things, and that fomented bitterness and anger.

Especially, we did not forgive easily and could nurse a grudge for a long time against whoever hurt us.

But now that we are seniors, we'd better let these juvenile attitudes out of our lives.

Particularly, the middle-aged years and upwards urge us to dish out forgiveness regularly and in large amounts.

Fatigue and boredom

One day, I greeted an 80-year-old woman at church and asked her, “How are you doing, Mama?”

“Fine,” she said, but added quickly, “Growing old is really difficult,” and went on to list the pains and aches she was undergoing.

Definitely, aches and pains are associated with being a senior citizen.

The body deserves commendation.

Year after year for decades, our body has served us well—walking, running, sitting, working, lying down, getting up; all the time while enduring headaches, backaches, knee-wobbling and general body pains.

Surely, the body has done well.

Thanks to God for keeping us going!

Author and theologian Richard De-Haan says, “We can be steadfast, patient and joyful in spite of deep weariness.”  

We should be less focused on our frailty and fatigue and rather “be more concerned about others than about ourselves; ready to speak a loving word to those who are struggling.”

This motivational thought is like a pill to combat debilitating boredom that can threaten to deprive us of purposeful living.

As we look forward to a better life hereafter, we, meanwhile, make ourselves useful daily this side of eternity.

Ace scientist Albert Einstein’s bicycle analogy is helpful here.

“Life is like riding a bicycle,” he says.

“To maintain the balance, you must keep moving.”

So physicians counsel that it is not helpful to sit in one place for too long, but to keep moving if we can.

Of course, they also caution against vigorous movements that can be detrimental to health.

Always, moderation is preferable.

Bidding farewell

There is no need to be like one senior citizen who so loved the world that he felt sad he would soon say goodbye to planet earth!

That is not a helpful attitude at all. You will leave planet Earth, certainly, but so will everybody else.

Billions of people have gone ahead of us, and billions will follow us, depending on how long it takes before the Lord Jesus returns to take those who are waiting for him.

What is in this world that should make us hold on too tightly to?

Whatever it is, we have a better world in view, a world that is a zillion times preferable to this miserable place.

I have the feeling that the aches and pains that cause us discomfort help us lose interest in this temporary world and rather raise our interest in eternal heaven.  

One of the reasons God allowed the Israelites to undergo suffering in Egypt was so that they would long to be delivered and carried to their Promised Land.

But you can sing with Jimmy Reeves, “This world is not my home; I’m just passing through. . .” only if you loathe this world with its many troubles and long for the heavenly kingdom.

Next week: We shall conclude our discourse with another letter to a senior citizen that reveals other critical ways forward.