By the year 2030, about a fifth of the world’s population will be over seventy years old. Millions of us will probably live to be a hundred or more. When someone asked President Dwight D. Eisenhower at his birthday party how he felt about turning eighty, he replied, ‘It sure does beat the alternative!’ In 2007, a lady from California called Anita Bogan died at the age of 106. Listen to some of the words from her obituary in the Los Angeles Times: ‘Blessed with good health and a sound mind, Bogan spent most of her old age doing what she wanted to do, with a feisty, what’s-age-got-to-do-with-it attitude. In the decades following her 80th year, she created a non-profit foundation to build senior housing…opened a floral shop, played golf daily…took cruises to celebrate her…birthdays…and inspired people. On Bogan’s 100th birthday, the Kern County Board of Supervisors declared an “Anita Bogan Day”.’ By her attitude towards life, Anita changed the way people around her viewed aging. Instead of focusing on the negatives of getting older, let’s try to focus on the quality of the years ahead of us. The Bible has this advice for us: ‘Do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you peace and prosperity’ (vv. 1-2 NIV). ‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. For through wisdom your days will be many, and years will be added to your life’ (Proverbs 9:10-11 NIV). We don’t need to fear the aging process, and we can even enjoy the experience when we build a close relationship with God and live in agreement with His Word.
