Pass it on

So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come.

Psalm 71:18 ESV 

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Please join me this week in praying for the elderly. Let's pray for their spiritual, mental, and physical health. Let's pray for our patience and perseverance in dealing with any special needs they may have.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #elderly #God #gospel #wisdom #generation

 

Wisdom comes with age

Wisdom is with the aged, and understanding in length of days.

Job 12:12 ESV

I said, ‘Let days speak, and many years teach wisdom.’

Job 32:7 ESV

So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.

Psalm 90:12 ESV 

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Please join me this week in praying for the elderly. Let's pray for their spiritual, mental, and physical health. Let's pray for our patience and perseverance in dealing with any special needs they may have.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #elderly #God #honor #wisdom #respect

Respect the elderly

 

This falls under the heading, laws of kindness, and justice. When you're old(er), how do you want to be treated? Think about what you say and do and then imagine someone being like that toward you. I don't even mean "bad" treatment, just treatment that's different than how you are with someone younger. 

     For instance, a manager of a restaurant saying to an elderly woman, "Give me a hug, Grandma," or "Aren't you just so cute?!" (Two different restaurants). I hear people use a different voice with older friends and relatives than they do with others. It's as if they assume the person they're talking to won't understand what they're talking about. Be conscious of showing respect. 

“You shall stand up before the gray head and 

honor the face of an old man, and you shall f

ear your God: I am the Lord.

Leviticus 19:32 ESV

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Please join me this week in praying for the elderly. Let's pray for their spiritual, mental, and physical health. Let's pray for our patience and perseverance in dealing with any special needs they may have.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #elderly #God #honor #love #respect

Strength

 

I don't know which is more difficult, watching our parents age physically or mentally. I guess it depends on which is more predominant in their daily life. My dad never lost his mental clarity. He had a bought with 'hospital induced dementia' after his hip surgery, but that went away.
     Two days before he passed away, we were trying to decide what to watch on tv, almost arguing about it for some reason. I asked him what he wanted to watch and he said he didn't give a @#%& about what tv show we watched, that he was going to be dead in 48 hours anyway. That really put things into perspective.
     So, with my dad, it was most difficult watching his body deteriorate, especially toward the end when he couldn't take care of himself. He was stubborn, though. He'd rather spill his pop than have me help him hold his cup. (This drove my mother crazy, which maybe contributed to his willingness to let it spill, lol.)
     I don't really have a point with all of this. It's part of life. Today's bible verses have to do with strength, and that's what made me think of it.

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

Psalm 71:9 ESV

The glory of young men is their strength, but the splendor of old men is their gray hair.

Proverbs 20:29 ESV

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Please join me this week in praying for the elderly. Let's pray for their spiritual, mental, and physical health. Let's pray for our patience and perseverance in dealing with any special needs they may have.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #elderly #God #strength #parents

God carries us

Even to your old age, I am He,*

And even to gray hairs I will carry you!

I have made, and I will bear;

Even I will carry, and will deliver you.

Isaiah 46:4 NKJV

 * Note: This is one of the reasons I like the NKJV... whenever God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit are referred to with pronouns, the word is capitalized. Reading the ESV, I often have to figure out who the pronoun is referring to. Plus, I believe that any reference to God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit should be capitalized anyway, out of respect. I use the ESV here because the language is easier to understand for many people.

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Please join me this week in praying for the elderly. Let's pray for their spiritual, mental, and physical health. Let's pray for our patience and perseverance in dealing with any special needs they may have.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #elderly #God #comfort

Encourage the elderly

 

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

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Please join me this week in praying for the elderly. Let's pray for their spiritual, mental, and physical health. Let's pray for our patience and perseverance in dealing with any special needs they may have.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #elderly #nursinghome #quarantine #encourage

Pray for the elderly

 

One of the most heart-breaking things during this pandemic was the separation from those in nursing homes, and their separation from us. I don't have first-hand knowledge or experience with this, but often thought about it and prayed about it. 

     My dad was in a nursing home for rehab after a partial hip replacement. My mom stayed with him most of the day every day and my brother and I went almost every day before or after work. I can't imagine if we hadn't been able to do that and I really can't imagine what that would have done to his mental and emotional state.

     What brought this up is a woman from my church is in the process of putting her dad into a nursing home. The procedure is complicated and time-consuming. Having to do this causes a range of emotions. But on top of all that, her dad won't be able to have visitors for the first two weeks while he quarantines. He suffers from dementia and she feels he's going to be confused and disoriented. It's weighing heavily on her.

     I'm not knocking the process; we're all making sacrifices during these unprecedented circumstances. It's just that my heart goes out to those most affected and most vulnerable. Let's pray for them this week.

Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life.

Proverbs 16:31 ESV

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Please join me this week in praying for the elderly. Let's pray for their spiritual, mental, and physical health. Let's pray for our patience and perseverance in dealing with any special needs they may have.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #elderly #nursinghome #quarantine

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

Care for your parents

I think getting old must be the most difficult part of life. For those who were raised to not ask for help, to always be strong and independent, it presents a lot of internal conflicts and pushing oneself to do things we should no longer do.
   Older people have to constantly prove themselves capable and "with it" to those who see grey hair and wrinkles and assume the person standing before them can't hear or comprehend what's being discussed.
   There's probably a nagging worry in the back of their minds that their children will put them in a nursing home and walk away. Their freedoms and choices will be stripped away.
   Wherever your parents live, make time to visit them, call, email. Ask if you can do anything for them, especially moving and lifting and repairs. They need you just as much (if not more) as you need them. They get lonely, bored, depressed, and anxious. Think about how you want to be treated when you're the age they are now.

So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you,

 for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

Matthew 7:12 NIV

Join me this week in praying for family.

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

Pray for the elderly

     Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life.

Proverbs 16:31 ESV

The "elderly" is probably defined differently for each person. When I was younger, the elderly were easily defined (by me) as anyone over 50, but as I've aged, my perception of "old" has changed. Now, I'm thinking anyone over 85 is "older" but I'm really not comfortable assigning a chronological age to it anymore.
     My parents are both 80 years old chronologically, but physically they are years apart. Mentally, they are both much younger. My dad, whose physical body is failing him still sees himself as a much younger person, which I can completely relate to because I still feel like I'm 16 (okay, maybe 20).
Over the past couple of years, I kept buying my dad things to make his life easier, or to make him more comfortable, or help him get around easier. Finally, he couldn't stand it any longer and said that I was giving him gifts as if he were an old person and that he's not ready to give into that notion.
     I'm reminded of the movie "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", and how he started life as an old person and ended life as a newborn. There is an amazing similarity between being born and dying, between being an infant and being old. but as others have said, it's the "in between" that matters. What we do with the space in between birth and death, our life in this life determines our eternal destiny in the afterlife.
     Dad told my mom that he figures he has about 2 months to live. On one hand, it's difficult for me to believe because he's been telling me that he doesn't have long to live for as long as I can remember (he suffers from depression). Additionally, he doesn't act anything like my late husband did right before he died. But I have heard of people knowing it was nearing the end and so that's always in the back of my mind. I talked to him last night and he said he's at peace with it.
     Maybe I'm just rambling here and not making any sense, but my dad is on my mind constantly because I know that he's not much longer for this world, whether it be 2 months or 2 days or 2 years. We have so many prayers for the older people in our lives. We pray for their health: mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. We pray for their comfort and care. We pray for their salvation. I want to be able to see him again in the next life, but he is so set in his ways and doesn't want to talk about religion. He used to not allow any political or religious discussion but he's been more open to both topics the past couple of years. Still, I can't get through to him.
     Please think of at least one elderly person and pray for them this week. During the holidays it can be an especially difficult time for them. Offer to help them with their Christmas shopping, decorating their home, addressing Christmas cards, and running errands. Send a card or note. Drop in for an unexpected visit. Remember especially those who are housebound and isolated; those without family. You have the power to make a big difference in someone's life before the year ends. Are you up to the challenge?

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

Campaign to end loneliness

This week our prayer group is focusing on people we know who are lonely. In researching material about this growing people group, I came across a website called Campaign To End Loneliness. It's based in the U.K. and is bringing awareness to Seniors who often go for long periods of time without any interaction with another human being. Going through their website, I understand better what my mom tries to convey even though she isn't alone (my dad is still living), and she isn't homebound (she runs errands nearly every day). Nearly all of her friends have passed away. Her sisters live ten hours away. My brother travels a lot for his job so he isn't around much. So, even though she sees a lot of people during the week, it isn't always connecting with other people, and it's that connection that she needs. It's hard to explain, but I'm more aware of it now.
Both her and Dad have said for decades that they hated retirement. It's difficult to fill the days. They're bored. As they get older and have more difficulties, the boredom grows. It's easy to become depressed. If my parents go through these negative feelings, imagine someone who lives alone and is homebound. This video illustrates the feelings that emerge in that situation.



P.S. Please don't tell my mom I talked about her on social media :D She's kind of funny about stuff like that.