Psalm 71:9 – Do not cast me off in the time of old age; do not forsake me when my strength is spent.

"Old age, to the unlearned, is winter; to the learned, it is harvest time."

I minister to an older congregation and they continually astound me with the joy of living to an old age. I am in my forties and many of them are in their eighties and beyond. Emma at 100 was always my best critic and while she worked on another pair of mittens for the White Gifts, she would offer me insight into my ministry that no one else would (or felt free to). What a joy to receive honest feedback given out of love for me and for the Church.

Betty Friedan, in The Fountain of Age, said it well: "Saying what we think and feel at last – knowing who we are, realizing that we know more than we ever knew that we knew, not afraid of what anyone thinks of us anymore… I have never felt so free."

Prayer: O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to all the generations to come. Amen. (Psalm 71:17)

Forward this devotional     Share on Facebook

About the author:

Kenn Stright <kennethstright@yahoo.ca>
West Petpeswick, Nova Scotia, Canada
Send your feedback to the author