Did you ever wonder why they call them “the Golden years”? It certainly can’t mean that you have more gold during your older years than your early years. So what makes them “golden”? What makes getting older so great anyway?
If you look around our society, you’ll get the wrong impression. We tend to value youth, beauty, and vigor. Where does that leave the older generation? As a society, we tend to put the older generation away in homes where they’re out-of-the-way. Jesus certainly honored his elders and we should honor our elders also.
What makes them so great?
One of the things that makes age great is their years of wisdom that come along with it. By the time you get older you’ve figured a few things out. Maybe you’ve learned from some personal mistakes in life, maybe you’ve learn from the mistakes of others but older men and women serve as the perfect mentors for future generations.
How much would you pay for wisdom? Wisdom is priceless. So maybe one of the reasons why we call them the Golden years is because our elders have so much valuable wisdom. But that wisdom isn’t worth much if it isn’t being shared with younger generations.
What do you have to look forward to?
You want to know what do you have to look forward to when you get older? Here’s what Solomon, the writer of Ecclesiastes says getting older looks like… as you get older your eyesight starts to get worse. You go from reading glasses, to bifocals, to macular degeneration. It’s not your hearing- if it wasn’t for hearing aids many elders would not be able to hear at all. It’s not your physical strength- your energy level is gone. You’re tired all the time but unable to get a good night’s sleep. As you get older your teeth fall out, your strength is gone, and you find your legs are unstable. The old saying really is true- “getting older isn’t for sissies.”
So what do you have to look forward to when you get older? Investing in the lives of others! You can leave a huge impact on future generations. Often grandparents will have a bigger influence than parents will on children. Maybe that’s because grandparents have more time but they definitely have more wisdom than the average parent.
What are you waiting for?
If you’re one of those folks that’s getting older out there what are you waiting for? Start cashing in on the Golden years! Start sharing your wisdom with future generations.
Ladies, find a young woman and start investing in her as she invests in her family or her community. Guys, find a younger man and start mentoring him on what it means to be a follower of Christ. Cash in on those golden years by leaving an impact on generations to come.
