Respect your elders

 

I honestly think this is one of the problems with the world today...disrespect for the elderly. Maybe it's a disciplinary problem, maybe it's a generational problem, or maybe it's just something that's a part of the upcoming tribulation period. Whatever the reason, it's just a sad situation.
     We lose so much when we don't seek the advice of those who have lived longer than us, lived through what we're going through now. We lose their wisdom, knowledge, history.
     Additionally, as we get older, some of us begin to feel unneeded, unimportant. We may even start to dread or become anxious about our futures as "senior citizens." We worry about the time when our kids try to tell us what's best for us when they start treating us as incompetent. Honestly, I'm projecting my mom, here. I try to get her interested in things so she doesn't just sit around and worry, or worse, just sit around and do nothing. When I don't visit, I feel guilty, and when I do visit, she makes me feel guilty for not visiting more often or staying longer. In her worry that I'm going to treat her like she can't do certain things anymore, she ends up treating me like I'm a child. I don't do that to her except when it comes to lifting and moving things because she refuses to ask for help, and it angers me!
     Anyway, this was kind of a rabbit trail, but my point is, we need to respect the elderly and realize that they/we have value. I'm always so surprised to look in the mirror and see grey hairs and wrinkles, etc. But, every time I go to the local grocery anymore, I get asked if I'm "eligible" for any discounts (meaning do I have a Golden Buckeye card).
     So, anyway, respect your elders!

“You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man, 

and you shall fear your God: I am the Lord.

Leviticus 19:32 ESV

     John MacArthur wrote: "Showing respect for the older man acknowledged God's blessing of long life and the wisdom that comes with it."*

*MacArthur, John (1997). The MacArthur Study Bible, New King James version.
     Thomas Nelson, Inc. Nashville, TN.

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Please join me this week in praying that we remember to treat one another with respect. During this time of incredible divisiveness, when it's so easy to get angry with those who have opposing viewpoints, we have to remember, that no matter what, we are all brothers and sisters. Our goal here is to bring the lost to know Christ. We can't do that without showing respect to everyone we meet. 

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible  #respect #elderly #SeniorCitizens #aging

Respect your parents

 

When I got home from vacation, I immediately called my mom, because I figured she would be waiting to hear from me. She calls multiple times a day normally, but since I didn't have any cell service where I was, all we could do was email.
     The first thing she says is, "I figure you've been home for several hours." I immediately went on the defensive and told her we just got home and that I called her right away. Besides, I emailed her before we left telling her we weren't leaving until almost check-out time. For some reason, she didn't believe what I wrote.
     Then, she tells me how she worked at getting this metal cart upstairs from the basement, by herself. I lost it. I got so angry that she would do something so foolish when she has family who is willing and able to help her with such things.
     Until my dad passed away, I was convinced that he would die from falling down those stairs and hitting his head on the concrete floor. The image of mom dying that way came to mind as she was describing getting the cart upstairs.
     After we hung up, I told my husband and he said that she was probably just very proud of herself for being able to do that. She's trying to hold onto her independence. I realized he was right. I felt bad for getting angry at her, but at the same time, I can't help but get upset with her when she does something dangerous. She worries about us treating her like she's frail or incompetent, which is understandable, but at the same time, I don't feel like any of us do that. So this constantly trying to prove that she can still do everything is actually making the situation worse.
     I have to keep in mind that she's my mother, the one who raised me and who has taken care of me well into adulthood, and respect her. I also have to respect who she is, which is a woman who has always prided herself on doing whatever she sets her mind to.

“Honor your father and your mother, 

that your days may be long in the land that 

the Lord your God is giving you.

Exodus 20:12 ESV

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Please join me this week in praying that we remember to treat one another with respect. During this time of incredible divisiveness, when it's so easy to get angry with those who have opposing viewpoints, we have to remember, that no matter what, we are all brothers and sisters. Our goal here is to bring the lost to know Christ. We can't do that without showing respect to everyone we meet. 

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible  #respect #mother #parents #father #aging

Honor the face of an old man

Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, 

younger men as brothers, 

older women as mothers, 

younger women as sisters, 

in all purity. 

1 Timothy 5:1-2 ESV

“You shall stand up before the gray head 

and honor the face of an old man, 

and you shall fear your God: I am the Lord. 

Leviticus 19:32 ESV

The next life

Therefore we do not lose heart. 

Though outwardly we are wasting away, 

yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.

2 Corinthians 4:16 NIV

Retirement age

I've been told by nearly everyone I know who has retired, that it isn't what it's cracked up to be. People get bored quickly and miss the comradery of co-workers and clients. They miss having somewhere to go every day, and they miss being needed. So many people identify with their job that when that job is gone, they lose their identity and essentially, they lose themselves.

Here, in the U.S., it seems like there is no time or patience to deal with the older generations. Fifty years old is considered (even if it's just jokingly) "over the hill." When sixty-five was set as the official age of retirement, it seemed to set a standard by which to gauge a person's abilities. Once you're sixty-five, it's your time to retire, whether you want to or not; you're no longer useful in the workplace. I think it's influenced how society looks at the capabilities of anyone over sixty-five. Is it really the best fit for our seniors to be greeters at Walmart?

My parents are eighty-years-old and their faculties are still pretty sharp. It's funny (kind of)...if I'm talking to my dad, he'll tell me something that my mom said that makes him worry about her mind. If I'm talking to my mom, she'll confide in me that Dad forgot something she supposedly told him repeatedly. As far as I can see, their minds are at least as good as mine.

My final sentiment is this. Treasure the older members of your family, friends, and neighbors. Somehow find the time to visit, or call, or at least drop them a card so they know that someone is thinking about them. What I hate more than anything is people who are disrespectful, even angry, who don't help when asked all because the senior in their life is having trouble remembering things and it's frustrating. These same people will then cry and mourn and grieve when that person passes away. Don't wait until then to show you loved someone. It's meaningless after the fact.

Do not cast me off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength is spent.

Psalm 71:9 ESV

Honor and care for your family

“Honor your father and your mother, 

that your days may be long in the land 

that the Lord your God is giving you.

Exodus 20:12 ESV
 

But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, 

and especially for members of his household, 

he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

1 Timothy 5:8 ESV

Compassion and tolerance

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Please join our prayer group as we spend the week praying for the elderly. Please ask God for guidance as to how to make a difference in the lives of those older than ourselves. Listen for God's direction. He answers all prayers. I'll post a daily reminder to pray on:
twitter @7DegreesOfMe
instagram @archadia27
facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

Encouragement for the aging

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 NIV